


Undercover Love

by AverageMarvelBitch



Series: Stony Shorts [9]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Times, Based on the events of the MCU but with a different take, F/M, M/M, Secret agents AU, Stony - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2020-04-06 08:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19059058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AverageMarvelBitch/pseuds/AverageMarvelBitch
Summary: The hospital bills keep on coming and Steve doesn't know how to help his mother. He decides the army is his best bet. Destiny has a different idea, though, and puts Dr. Erskine and Project Rebirth on his path.Soon, he becomes Captain America and a special forces SHIELD agent with a dream team, ready to take on even the most dangerous missions. A few years later, Director Carter's nephew is kidnapped by the Ten Rings and it's Captain America and the Avengers to the rescue! Falling in love with said nephew wasn't on Steve's plans, but he isn't complaining.Director Carter might complain. If she ever finds out.





	1. Chapter 1

When Steve was little, he dreamed about being an artist. His mother, bless her soul, was very supportive of his dream and whenever they had any money to spare, which wasn’t often, she would buy him paint and a canvas. Sometimes he even managed to sell some of his art, using the money to help around the house.

If Steve had had a choice, he’d have chosen to go to art school. He would’ve stayed with his mother, happily using his creativity to create beautiful pieces of art and hopefully one day his work would be worth something, at least enough to give his mother the quiet life she deserved. But as it were, destiny had a very different plan for Steve Rogers.

He was on his way to an interview for a scholarship when he got the call. He took a cab and got to the hospital as fast as he could. Sadly, they didn’t have good news. Sarah Rogers was sick, very sick. As they explained to the young man everything she would have to go through (the chemo, the many nights at the hospital, the physical therapy, the experimental drugs), Steve’s mind wandered. _How are we going to afford this?_

He spent the night sitting in a very uncomfortable chair beside her bed, all the while thinking of ways to get the money. As the night went on, his ideas got crazier and crazier, going from “selling everything they owned” to “robbing a bank”. By the time the sun finally showed up outside, Steve had made a decision.

His mother cried when he told her. She even begged him not to do it. But he had no choice. She needed the treatment and that was the only way he could pay for it. The army was a hard choice, but it was the right one. Even if he died, at least his mother would get enough money to pay for part of the treatment. It was all he could do. So he enlisted that same afternoon. Passing the ASVAB was easy. The real problem was the medical exam.

The doctor in charge had taken one good look at Steve and another at his medical file and quickly stamped a 4-F in his enrolment paper. Steve tried to make his case, but the man would not hear it. Still, the young artist didn’t give up. He lied on his form and tried again. And again. And again. And again. Sometimes he would consider giving up, but then the hospital bills would arrive and he would think of his mother, his beautiful, kind, hardworking mother who had given up everything to care for her only son. His mother, who had worked more shifts than she could possibly handle to put her son through school. The woman who took beating from her drunk husband in order to protect her boy. He would think of her and remember every single that she had done for him and that always gave him the strength to try again.

Everything changed when he met Dr. Erskine.

* * *

For the fifth time in two months, Steve was sitting in a medical bed, waiting. The doctor had his back to him, probably getting ready to poke Steve with medical instrument known to man. Suddenly, a nurse came, giving the blonde a small smile before leaning in closer to the doctor, whispering something in his ear. The nurse left and the doctor turned to follow her, making Steve even more nervous than he was before.

“Wait here”, the doctor said, leaving the room.

“Something wrong?” Steve called out, worried.

“Just wait here”.

Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. Steve looked behind him, finding a warning on the wall. _It is illegal falsify your enlistment form_ , he read. God, what would his mom say if he got arrested? Worse, what would happen to his mother if he couldn’t work to at least try to pay for her treatment? Without much choice, Steve decided the best course of action was to get the hell out of there was quickly as possible.

He jumped down from the bed and found his shoes, trying to put them on as fast as he could. Before he could finish, though, a soldier entered the small room, posting himself by the door, staring silently at Steve. The young artist stared right back, trying to calm himself down. _I’m going to get arrest. Fuck, ma is gonna kill me._

After five minutes, the longest five minutes of all his life, a doctor walked in, dismissing the soldier with a polite _thank you_. He looked at Steve, a kind smile on his face.

“So! You want to be a soldier. Kill some bad people overseas, is that right?”

Steve frowned, not quite understanding what was going on. “Excuse me?”

“I’m Doctor Abraham Erskine. I represent the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistic Division”.

“That’s a mouthful”.

“Well, we go by SHIELD as well”.

“I’ve never heard of that”, Steve replied, suspicious.

“Not many people have, Mr. Rogers. So, five attempts to join the army, huh”.

“That might not be the right file”, the blonde tried to reason, trying not to show just how terrified he really was.

“No, no. It’s not the five failed exams I’m interested in. It’s the five tries. Tell me, Mr. Rogers. Do you want to punish some bad people?”

Steve just stared at the doctor for a second, unsure on how to answer that. “Is this a test?”

“Yes”, the doctor answered, nodding his head.

“I don’t want to punish people, or kill them. I… I want to protect people. And, to be completely honest, I want this so I can help my mother. She’s sick”.

“I see. Well, Mr. Rogers, I believe I may have a solution to your troubles. Tell me, are you afraid of needles?”

Confused, Steve replied, “No, sir, I’m not”.

“Good, good. I’ll need you to sign these papers”, he said, taking said papers from inside the file he had in his hands and putting them on the table near Steve, “they are just a precaution, to make sure you won’t repeat to anyone what I’m about to tell you. Should you do that, you will be charged with treason, Mr. Rogers, so think carefully”.

Steve stared at the papers. “This solution you’re talking about. What does it entail?”

“Basically, you’ll become a special agent of SHIELD. And the pay will be enough to care for your mother’s medical needs, I’m sure. But I’m afraid, until you sign those papers, that is all I can tell you about it”.

But he didn’t have to say anything else. If this could help his mother, then he’d do it, no matter what it was. Besides, these papers were only to find out what exactly the solution the doctor had mentioned was. If it happened to be something Steve wasn’t comfortable with, he could just walk away and never mention it again. Without a second thought, he got up from the chair he’d been sitting, taking the pen from Dr. Erskine’s hand and promptly signed the papers.

When he was finished, he looked at Erskine, curious.

“Well, Mr. Rogers. Let me tell you a little bit about Project Rebirth”.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve makes a decision and then shit happens.

Project Rebirth, as Steve soon learned, was a super secret experiment funded by a even more super secret organization. Basically, Dr. Erskine, with the help of another scientist that remained unnamed, had created a special serum that could give person injected with it super human abilities. Steve would be bigger, faster, stronger. He would become the ultimate soldier and he would be contractually obligated to work for SHIELD for the next ten years of his life, at least. _It’s a big decision to make_ , Erskine had said inside that tiny, white room, _but I’m afraid you won’t have that much time to think about it. You have until the end of the day to give me an answer, Mr. Rogers. And I remind you that should this information leave this room, you’ll be putting not only yourself at risk, but your loved ones as well._

For the rest of the day, Steve thought of nothing else. He even made a list with all the pros and cons of each decision. If he said yes, he would become better in every way: no more asthma, no more colds, no more tiny, sickly Stevie who got his ass handed to him by a tall asshole in the movie theater. He would be able to fight his own fights. Hell, he would be able to protect people who couldn’t protect themselves! Plus, he’d have enough money to help his mother. Working ten years of his life for a somewhat shady sounding government agency seemed like a small price to pay.

By the afternoon, Steve had already made his decision. He visited his ma in the hospital and told her he had enlisted. She cried and cried, which broke his heart, but he knew it was for the best. He couldn’t tell her about the experiment because he knew she would not like that. She’d most likely talk him out of it and he couldn’t afford that. Neither of them could afford that. So Steve held her as she cried, making promises he wasn’t sure he would be able to keep. And they stayed like that, holding each other until nightfall.

It was almost ten p.m. when Steve called the number Erskine had given him.

“Yes, Mr. Rogers?” the doctor immediately said upon picking up.

“I’m in”.

* * *

Steve stood in the middle of the sidewalk, feeling horribly confused. He stared at the store on the other side of the street and then at the small piece of paper in his hands. He’d confirmed the address a thousand times already and he was definitely at the right place. He’d been expecting some sort of hospital or fancy lab. He definitely hadn’t expected an antiques store. Still feeling slightly confused, Steve crossed the street.

The bell rang as he walked through the door. Soon, an old lady appeared.

“Wonderful weather this morning, isn’t it?”, she said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

It took Steve a moment to remember what he was supposed to say. “Yes, but I always carry an umbrella?”

The old lady nodded, seeming satisfied enough. She walked to the counter and stood there for a second. She must have pressed a button or something, because Steve immediately heard a buzzing noise. The blond looked around, confused, until the lady gestured to the door behind her. Steve walked shyly through it and found himself in a smaller room filled with a huge bookcase. He looked around, confused as to what he was supposed to do, when the bookcase simply opened like a door, revealing a huge space that looked an awful lot like an army base.

Steve walked in, looking around in complete awe. _Yeah, this is definitely a secret organization_ , he thought to himself.

“Mr. Rogers? We’ve been expecting you. Follow me, please”, a woman welcomed him. She took Steve through the corridors to a big room on the back. The room was filled with all sort of technological equipments, with people in white coats walking up and down with clipboards, talking in what Steve could only assume was an alien language.

The woman gestured for Steve to sit down and wait. He did so, beside another man who looked to be about his age.

“Hey. James Barnes”, the man introduced himself, offering his right hand for a shake, and that’s when Steve noticed he was missing an arm. The blond took his hand, shaking it.

“Steve Rogers”.

“So, you’re here for the super soldier serum too?”

“The super soldier serum?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been calling it. It’s crazy, right? I would’ve thought they’d pick some strong, trained types, but they actually picked the guy with one arm and… well…”

“The guy who’s half a guy?” Steve said, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah. No offense”.

“None taken”, Steve replied with a smile, “If you don’t mind me asking…”

“How I lost it? I was cutting up some carrots and just got a bit carried away”, Bucky said in a deadpan tone, making Steve snort so loud in laughter that the scientists nearby stopped to glare at them.

And as they waited for the procedure to begin, Steve and Bucky talked about their lives, their fears and their expectations. When Erskine appeared, accompanied by none other than Howard Stark, the boys said their goodbyes and good lucks and went their separate ways, each to a different room, knowing that whatever happened after the procedure, at least they would have each other.

* * *

**Five years later.**

_Budapest, Hungary._

A red headed woman opened her eyes, blinking to try and adjust to the bright light being shined on her. She heard the sound of a train passing close by as she looked around the empty warehouse. Her captors, two tall men and a smaller one, all stared at her with cocky smiles.

“Ah, she awakes”, the small, weak looking man directly in front of her said, hands behind his back in a very nonchalant manner, “I must confess, I expected more from the great Black Widow”.

Natasha stayed silent. The man on her right came closer and slapped her as hard as he could. _That’s definitely going to leave a mark_ , she thought, feeling the sting on her cheek.

“Tell me, my dear. Who are you working for? Is it Lermentov, per chance?”, the little man asked, nodding at the man on her left. The man in question took hold of Natasha’s chair, dipping it backwards, towards the big hole behind her. “Does he think we need his permission to move _our_ cargo?”

Natasha seemed confused for a moment. “I thought General Solohob was in charge of the export business”.

The little man laughed. “Solohob? A bagman. A front. Your outdated information betrays you. Now, you will tell Lermentov that we will no longer require his services and… Well”, he said, taking a pair of pliers from the table nearby, “you might have to write it down”.

And that’s when a cell phone rang. The man on her right tapped his own pockets, looking for the device, and answering it when he finally found it.

Confused, he gave the cell phone to his boss. “It’s for her”.

The little man took the device from his hands and was ready to talk when a very calm voice interrupted him.

_“You’re at 1-14 Silensky Plaza, 3 rd floor. We have an F-22 exactly eight miles out. Put the woman on the phone or I’ll blow up the block before you can make the lobby”._

The little man looked surprised at the phone on his hand, then at both his minions, before begrudgingly giving the device to the red headed woman.

 _“We need you to come in”_ , the voice said.

“Are you kidding? I’m working”, Natasha complained.

 _“This takes precedence”_ , the voice insisted.

“I’m in the middle of an interrogation. This moron is giving me everything”.

The little man looked at his minions, surprised. “I did not... give… everything?”

Natasha just threw him an unimpressed look before returning her attention to the phone, “Look, you can’t pull us out from this right now”.

_“Natasha… The Mechanic has been taken”._

A moment of silence, and then, “Let me put you on hold”.

On the other side of the line, Special Agent Coulson waited patiently for the Widow to be finished, completely unworried with the clear sounds of a fight coming from the other end. After a few moments, someone picked up the phone again.

“We’re on our way”, Natasha said, watching as a man ziplined down next to her.

 _“Good. Meet the evacuation team at the usual place. You have fifteen minutes”_ , and, with nothing more to add, Agent Coulson hung up.

“Thanks for the help”, Natasha said sarcastically, walking with purpose towards the door, quickly taking her high heels from the floor on the way.

“Yeah, you definitely looked like you were struggling”, the man said, putting his bow back on his back, “What’s going on?”

“The Mechanic has been taken”.

“Yeah, I don’t know who that is”, Clint confessed.

“Me neither. All I know is that he’s important to the Director, so…”

“Got it. Well, at least _this_ mission was a success”.

Natasha turned to look at him with an arching eyebrow.

“Come on! Nobody exploded, nobody’s face melted off. This is already way better than the last time we were in Budapest”.

The woman snorted in agreement as they both walked out of the warehouse.

 

At that exact same moment, a blond man on the other side of the world heard a bleep sound. He took his phone out of his pocket and read the message with a frown.

_“Rescue Mission. Location: Afghanistan. Main Objective: Locate and rescue the target known as The Mechanic. The target must be rescued alive and delivered at SHIELD Headquarters. Your team awaits you. Evacuation in T minus 20 minutes. Good luck, Captain America”._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! (;


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is kidnapped and the team goes to save him.

The Strategic Homeland Intervention and Enforcement Logistics Division, also known as SHIELD, was a secret organization. In fact, they were so secret that most agents, even the ones with a high level clearance, didn’t know who they worked for. Steve and Bucky were both Level 7 in the scale, being outranked only by their handler, Agent Coulson, Commander Hill and Deputy Director Fury. SHIELD believed in compartmentalizing every piece of information. _Nobody spills our secrets_ , Fury once explained to them after a particularly bad mission, _because no one knows them all._ It wasn’t something Steve was comfortable with, to be honest, but he learned to live with it all the same. And so, every agent, from level 1 to 9, knew a little piece of information that the others didn’t know. There was only one thing none of them knew: the Director’s identity.

The name and face of the Director of SHIELD was such a well kept secret that it had become a bit of a legend amongst the agents. Some said he was a military man who had singlehandedly fought against the enemy’s forces and emerged victorious, saving Fury in the process, who had lost an eye during said battle. Others said he was, in fact, the President of the United States and SHIELD was just a cover for the government to do in secret things it couldn’t do in public. And then there were the agents who thought the Director was actually Nick Fury himself and he was just trying to create some sort of mystique around his true identity. Steve had heard all of these theories in the last five years he’d worked for SHIELD. He had even created some himself when curiosity got the best of him. Maybe it said something about him that not once, in all these years, he pictured the fearsome Director of SHIELD as a beautiful brunette wearing bright red lipstick.

 Steve discreetly looked around the table, trying to read his fellow agents. The red headed woman sitting next to him seemed unfazed by Fury’s introduction of the Director at first glance, but Steve could swear he’d noticed her eyebrows going slightly up for a moment before she schooled her features once more. The man on her side, however, had no such reservations. His eyes were wide, mouth hanging open, and he stayed like that for a few good seconds before the red head not so subtly kicked him in the chin, as if trying to remind the poor sap to be at least somewhat professional about the whole ordeal. Steve didn’t need to see Bucky’s face at all; his soft _holy shit_ was reaction enough.

“Well, I believe I do not need to reinforce how absolutely vital it is that my identity remains a secret”, the woman said with a faded English accent, taking a seat in front of them, “And I will be so very cross if this particular secret leaves this room”, she looked at each one of them for a moment before continuing to speak. “Very well. You have been chosen for this mission not only because of your skills and frankly stellar records, but because, according to Deputy Director Fury, Commander Hill and Agent Coulson, you are trustworthy. This mission is not just about SHIELD security, it’s also… personal to me”.

“So that’s why we were contacted through the super secret channel”, the blonde man said as if he’d just had an epiphany.

“Precisely, Agent Barton. Agent Coulson, if you please”.

Agent Coulson got up, buttoning his suit, and walked towards the wall, where a map suddenly appeared.

“Yesterday, at approximately twelve hundred hours, the Director’s nephew, known as The Mechanic, disappeared nearby the Kunar Province, in Afghanistan”, Coulson explained, marking the spot in the map, ”He was being escorted by American soldiers back to the Bagram Air Base after a missile presentation when his convoy was attacked by members of a group known as the Ten Rings”.

“Shit”, Bucky swore softly under his breath just as Natasha exhaled, her shoulders suddenly going stiff with tension.

“The terrorist group has made no contact with neither family nor work relations of the prisoner, which leads us to believe that they are not interested in money. The Mechanic is quite the ingenious engineer and is the sole developer of most of the technology SHIELD uses, including our weapons, communication equipment and espionage gadgets. If this information fell in the wrong hands, it could mean the end of SHIELD”.

“Your mission”, the Director continued, making all agents turn their full attention to her once more, “is to locate my nephew and bring him home. Alive”, she added, stressing the last word. “You will fly to Bagram Air Base, where you will meet Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes. He will accompany you in your searches. Are there any questions?”

When none of the agents said anything, she nodded sharply. “Good luck, agents. I trust you’ll bring my nephew back to me as soon as possible”.

“You leave in fifteen minutes”, Fury suddenly said from behind them with a forceful tone, making everyone but Natasha jump on their chairs, “Get up, gear up, and meet me at Deck 03. Go”.

* * *

Pain. That was all Tony knew in that moment. A kind of pain that he’d never experienced before in his life, the kind that burned his insides, twisted his guts and pressed on his bones, as if wanting to break them into tiny pieces. He trashed around the small cot, or at least he tried to. He turned his head to look at his hands and found both were bound by metal chains. His breathing became even more erratic and he felt the tears streaming down his face as he tried to scream through the rag stuffed in his mouth.

A man suddenly appeared on his line of vision. He looked at Tony with semi closed eyes and a frown, his lips pressed thin against each other. He said something in another language, something the young engineer couldn’t quite understand. Another voice filled the room, replying to whatever the man with kind eyes had said. The man looked regretful for a moment, turning his eyes to the scalpel in his hand and then back to Tony. He sighed.

“This will hurt, Mr. Stark. But it is the only way to save your life. I am very sorry”, he whispered softly near Tony’s ear before nodding to someone. Immediately, two strong hands took hold of the engineer’s head from behind, holding him in place. All he could see was the filthy ceiling. His eyes followed the small light bulb going back and forth, as if trying to hypnotize him. And then he felt it. Something sharp and cold and hard cutting through the skin in his chest. He screamed, closing his hands with such force that the nails pierced the palm. The cutting continued, and so did the pain. Tony could feel his heart beating faster than ever in his ears. He felt the sweat coming off his skin, the bile rising in his throat as he so desperately tried to keep it down. _They’re cutting me open_ , he thought, wide eyes going from one side to the other, _they’re cutting me open_.

He could feel something moving through the skin and into him, going around, searching for something. Then, the feeling disappeared and he heard a soft _klink_ noise. His voice was starting to become hoarse. He hadn’t even noticed he was still screaming. His wide eyes suddenly started blinking and the screams stopped. The room was slowly fading. The voices going softer and softer, lower and lower, until Tony finally passed out, going completely limp in the cot. _I’m going to die_ , he thought to himself before succumbing to the darkness.

* * *

It was already nightfall when the team finally arrived at Bagram Air Base, the cold air of the desert slipping through their clothes as they exited the quinjet. A tall, dark skinned man was waiting for them. He stood there, in the middle of the base, hands behind his back, waiting for the team to approach him with a serious, if not worried, expression. He quickly extended his hand when Steve came close enough to grab it.

“Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes, at your service, sir”, he said as Steve shook his hand, “I’m happy to see you, I have to say. We’ll need all the help we can get to locate T…”

“We use codenames only in missions like this, Lieutenant”, Steve cut him off midsentence, “These are Black Widow, Hawkeye, Winter Soldier and I’m Captain America”.

The corners of Rhode’s mouth went slightly up at the last one as he clearly tried to stop himself from laughing. Steve was very used to that reaction and so he didn’t take offense in it.

“Here”, Natasha said, giving the man a small earpiece, which he promptly put in his ear, “All communications go through this and nothing else. From this moment forward, you will be Lieutenant, understood?”

Rhodes nodded sharply.

“We need to know everything that’s happened since the target was taken, spare no details”, Steve informed him.

“Follow me, Captain. You can have some food while I debrief you on the situation”.

They followed the Lieutenant inside one of the barracks and into a small room. There was a table in the middle of it, with four plates of food lying around. Clint quickly sat down and took one, stuffing his mouth with whatever it was the plate contained, looking quite happy.

“The target arrived two days ago in a private jet for a missile presentation. He spent the night in this Air Base and we left for a testing area near Kunar in the morning. The presentation happened as planned. The target was supposed to come back with me, but decided to join Beta Team instead. The convoy left at thirteen hundred hours, as planned”.

“Any reason why he refused to go with you?” Natasha asked, putting a small piece of bread in her mouth.

“He was being a dick to me because I missed his birthday”, Rhodes explained, shaking his head with a fond smile, “Said he rather go in the _funvee_ ”.

“You know the target?”

“Yes”.

“Well, that complicates things”, Bucky replied, crossing his arms.

“My relationship with the target will not affect this mission, Soldier”, Rhodes promised, and then continued explaining, “They were attacked around here”, he pointed at the map, “a few miles outside Kunar. All soldiers in the convoy were killed in combat. This was the target’s last known location”.

“Do the Ten Rings usually work in that area?” Clint asked with his mouth full.

“No. There’d never been a sighting of them near Kunar until yesterday. That’s what’s bothering me. They knew we were coming and they knew who was with us. But the thing is, no one knew T… the target“, Rhodes quickly corrected himself, “was coming that day”.

“Maybe you have a mole amongst your soldiers”, Natasha offered.

“The only people who knew he was coming were me, his aunt and his business partner. The soldiers only found out when we left for the presentation. Even if someone had tipped off the Ten Rings, they would need at least a full day to move that much fire power to our exact location. It’s not impossible, but it’s just… highly unlikely”.

“Is there anything else we need to know, Lieutenant?”

“Nothing relevant, Captain”, he replied, hands behind his back once more, “We’ll start the searches tomorrow at zero six hundred hours. The target is a major contributor to the U.S. Military so they’re focusing a lot of resources on this, not only soldiers but high tech equipment as well. It should help”.

“I’m sure we’ll find him soon enough, Lieutenant”, Steve replied, softening his expression, “Very soon”.

* * *

Tony hated many things. He hated when Rhodey put ketchup on his pasta, he hated when his bagels came with sesame seed, and he hated mustard. He hated when his dad told him that he wasn’t good enough and he hated the fact that his parents were gone and he was all alone. Tony Stark hated a whole lot of things, but he was pretty sure that there was nothing in his life that he hated more than the desert. His prison cell looked more like a Batcave, if Batman had lost all his money, sold all his tech to pay his debts and had decided to lock himself in it to live the rest of his days as a hermit. And let’s not mention the fact that a few weeks ago, Tony had gone through open-heart surgery with no anesthetics and had now a deep hole in his body the size of a small fist to which a car battery was attached, being the only thing stopping the shards of a bomb HE had made from crawling to his heart and killing him. All of that was bad, very bad, and of course Tony hated the whole situation, but it was the desert he hated the most.

The extremely hot days and excruciating cold nights were driving him crazy. Well, there was also the whole torture thing going on, like how they water boarded him every single day for hours as he desperately held to his car battery, trying to keep it from getting wet like his life depended on it ― and it did. Yeah, the torture thing didn’t help his mood, but honestly, it was all the desert’s fault. Stupid desert.

But he couldn’t think like that, couldn’t dwell on his hatred for the sand and the damn heat and the stupid cold. No, he couldn’t dwell on that because today was a special day. Today, whatever day it was, was the day Tony finally gave in and promised Abu Bakaar that he would build them the Jericho. Of course, he had absolutely no intention whatsoever to give the most dangerous terrorist group on this side of the planet a special missile that could destroy an entire city in less than minutes. No, sir. He had a much better idea. He was going to burn all of them, burn the entire war camp to the ground, and then Yinsen and he would step on their ashes as they walked to freedom. That’s what he was going to do.

Because he was Tony Stark and Stark men were made of iron. And the fucking Ten Rings would regret the very day they decided to mess with Anthony Edward Stark.

* * *

Three months. They had been searching for the target for the last three months. Steve had had long missions before. Sometimes an undercover op. or shadowing a target could go on for days, even weeks. But three months. He’d never been on a mission that lasted three whole months. And what was worse… there was nothing new. There was no new information, no tip, not even a bloody sign as to where the target was or even if he was still alive. In all honesty, Steve had lost all hope to finding the Mechanic alive a long time ago and it seemed that his teammates agreed with him. The U.S. Army and Air Force had withdrawn their people and resources after a month of searches with no result, and had even tried to declare the target Killed in Action. Steve guessed the Director had had some very stern words with them because soon after they received the news that Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes was given a sort of leave to continue to search for the target with the SHIELD agents and that no more claims would be made until the target was found ― dead or alive.

The worst part about all of it was Rhodes. Every morning they left the Air Base on a helicopter and they would search every inch of the wide, unending desert. And every night they would return without so much as a whiff of the Mechanic’s whereabouts. Steve could tell this mission was taking a toll on the Lieutenant’s spirit. Every night his eyes would grow sadder, his shoulders falling a bit more, his expression a bit darker. He would lock himself in his rooms as soon as they stepped inside the barracks and would only resurface in the morning with renewed determination, marching towards the helicopter as if today was finally the day.

“Can I just say what everybody is thinking?” Clint shouted through the loud noise made by the helicopter. Natasha, who was piloting it, pursed her lips, knowing that whatever her partner was about to say, it would not be good.

“Don’t, Hawkeye”, Bucky warned, eye still trained outside, looking for possible hideouts.

“I’m just saying, man. It’s been three months. There is no way a civilian survives three months in the hands of some fucked up terrorists. The guy is dead. Better accept it now and be done with it”.

“You don’t know him. He’s not like any other civilian. He…” But whatever he was, they would never know because Rhodes was interrupted by a sudden loud noise that sounded an awful lot like an explosion.

“There’s smoke. There, near the mountains!”, Bucky shouted, pointed at the place where thick, black smoke was rising slowly.

“GO THERE! HE’S THERE!”

“How can you know that?”

“Big explosion? That’s definitely Tony! GO! GO!”, Rhodes screamed at the top of his lungs. He seemed so happy, so full of hope, that Steve didn’t even bother to remind him of the codename rule.

It took Natasha a good fifteen minutes to land the helicopter near the exploded area. She waited inside as the others fought through the dark smoke, covering their mouths and noses as they walked inside what seemed to be a former war camp. There were bodies everywhere, melted faces and body parts scattered around as if it was some gruesome horror movie. The smell of burned flesh was unbearable.

“CLEAR”, Steve heard Clint shout from one side.

“ALSO CLEAR”, Bucky replied from the other.

“There’s no one alive here”.

“He did this”, Rhodes insisted, looking around, “He escaped. We need to check the area around it”.

“Lieutenant…”, Steve started to disagree, but the man gave him no chance.

“You listen to me, Captain, he is alive. Tony did this, he escaped. I don’t know how, but he did. So we’re going to check the surrounding areas or so help me God you fuckers can walk back to the fucking base and I’ll do it myself, do you understand?”

The three men exchanged a look before nodding. They radioed the base, giving them the coordinates for the war camp before getting into the helicopter once more. For the next three hours they flew around the exploded area, eyes wide open, trying to catch anything out of the ordinary. Natasha was just about to tell them they were running out of gas when she spotted something.

“THERE! IT LOOKS LIKE A PERSON!”, she shouted to the others.

She turned the helicopter around and smiled. Sure enough, there he was, with a shirt wrapped around his head, swinging his arms. The man fell to the ground just as Rhodey jumped out of the chopper, running towards him as fast as he could, Steve and Bucky right behind him. Rhodey fell on his knees right in front of his best friend, the biggest smile on his face.

“How was the funvee, asshole?”, he asked, hugging the smaller man, “Next time, you ride with me”.

The brunette nodded with a small smile and eyes full of tears before burying his head on Rhode’s neck with a soft cry.

“Here, let me”, Steve offered the Lieutenant, carefully taking the smaller man in his arms.

Steve couldn’t believe how young the target looked, how vulnerable. He couldn’t be more than twenty years old. How could a man so young survive something so horrible? Better yet, how could some this young escape from one of the most feared terrorist groups in the world? He carefully put the young man inside the helicopter, stepping aside so Natasha could insert an IV bag on his arm.

“Are you okay?” Rhodes asked, sitting next to his friend with a worried expression.

“Who the hell are these people? They don’t look military”, the target asked, lying his head on Rhodes’ shoulder.

“They’re SHIELD agents”.

“They’re shit”.

“HEY”, Clint complained from his seat in the front, turning around to glare at the target, “A little gratitude would be nice. We did just rescue you, jackass”.

“Hawkeye”, Natasha warned in a low tone.

Tony huffed, rolling his eyes. “You didn’t rescue me. You spent three months doing God knows what while I rescued myself. The only thing you’re doing right now is giving me a ride. You’re my Uber. And you’re definitely two stars. I’m writing my review right now, takes too fucking long to show up and doesn’t even have fucking candy. Bullshit”.

Steve snorted before quickly composing himself. “We’re glad you’re okay, sir”.

“Why is he calling me sir? Has it been three months or three years? Am I old? Rhodey, am I old? Be honest”.

“Figures not even a traumatic experience would shut you up, Tones”, Rhodey joked before kissing his best friend’s forehead and lying his own head on top of Tony’s, “Don’t ever do that to me again, okay?”

“Yeah”, Tony replied, his eyes losing focus for a second as he touched his own chest where, Steve had just noticed, a faint blue light was coming through the shirt. His eyes met Tony’s for a moment before the young man looked away, closing his eyes with a long sigh. He would tell Rhodey about the arc reactor later. Right now, all he wanted to do was to close his eyes and think of home.

Home. And then the real work would begin.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peggy remembers some things as she waits for her darling godson.

Margaret Carter was proud to say that she had lived a very eventful and interesting life. She had become an agent of the Strategic Scientific Reserve in a time when woman were relegated to answering phones and taking messages, quickly proving her worth in every field mission and soon rising to become one of the most prominent agents in the history of said agency. Then, when the SSR ended, she joined her old friend, Howard Stark, and founded the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistic Division, also known as SHIELD, a peacekeeping organization whose primary goal was making the world a better place and fighting those who sought to destroy it. She had worked hard and relentlessly all her life, always focused on her work as the Director of SHIELD, making no time for love or romance. Margaret had never much cared about such things, had never really dreamed of a white picket fence with a lovely wife and a couple of children playing in the yard, not even when her darling Angie had been alive, God bless her soul. She simply did not have the time or the inclination to love and care for a child as a mother should. And she wholeheartedly believed that until the day Anthony Stark had been born.

Anthony had arrived on a Thursday, in the middle of one of the worst thunderstorms Malibu had seen in years. Peggy had arrived a few hours after the birth, absolutely soaking wet despite the umbrella poor Jarvis held for her all the way to the door.

“By God, Howard, how you can live in this godforsaken place is frankly beyond me”, she had complained, taking her shoes off at the door and graciously accepting a towel from Jarvis.

“Trust me, Peg, you’ll change your mind once the sun comes up and you see the beautiful view of the beach. There’s nothing like it”, Howard replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek with a smile that could light up an entire room.

“I doubt it. Now, where is my godson?”

During her pregnancy, Maria Stark had fallen victim to the newest tendency amongst the rich socialites of California: the all natural birth. She had insisted that little Anthony should be born in their home, surrounded by his loved ones as opposed to a hospital full of loud machines and strangers. She had nearly driven her husband insane with worry and, despite his very passionate speeches about her safety as well as the baby’s, she’d had the final word on the matter. And so, Anthony had been born in the mansion’s master bedroom, with the help of a very competent midwife and under Anna Jarvis’ watchful eye. Margaret heard the unhappy wails of the baby before she and Howard had even entered the room. The ever proper Maria held the baby awkwardly in her arms, looking nothing like the very composed socialite Margaret knew her to be, her eyes dropping lightly most likely from the tiredness brought by the very difficult birth.

“Would you like to hold him?” Maria asked in greeting as soon as her tired eyes landed on Margaret, carefully lifting the small, blue bundle in her arms in the brunette’s direction. She accepted the baby, cradling his head as she raised him closer to her own face.

“Hello, my darling Anthony. I’m your aunt Peggy”, she whispered softly to the baby, whose wails soon turned to quiet whimpers as he watched the beautiful woman with his big, brown eyes, “I’m the one you come to when your father is being terribly stupid. You’ll notice it tends to happen with surprising frequency”, she explained to the newborn baby, earning a faint laugh from Maria and a very annoyed _hey_ from Howard himself. Margaret, however, heard none of it, too enthralled by the baby in her arms to pay attention to anything else. _I will always be here, my dear,_ she promised him quietly with a kind smile, _for whatever you may need._

Throughout the years, Margaret kept her promise. She was there for every birthday, every Christmas and every Easter. She taught her little boy how to behave like a proper gentleman and how to make proper tea.

_“This tea is hot”, a very young Tony complained, grimacing as he swallowed the sweet liquid._

_“Well, of course it’s hot, my darling. It’s tea. Tea is hot”, Margaret calmly explained, taking a sip from her own cup._

_“Mommy and daddy always drink cold tea, it’s called iced tea. It’s really good!”_

_“That is not tea, dearest. That is filthy water with sugar. This”, she said, gesturing to their cups, “is tea. I’m surprised Mr. Jarvis hasn’t taught you that”._

_Tony shrugged, taking another big gulp from his cup, “He always makes a funny face when mommy and daddy drink it, though”._

_She smiled. “I’ll bet he does”._

She also taught him how to stand up for himself and, of course, how to throw a proper punch, a lesson that had gotten both of them in a lot of trouble when Tony came back from school with a purple eye and a proud smile and an exasperated Jarvis right behind him, waving a paper in which she could swear she read the word _suspension_. She took him to zoos, and picnics, and parks. She told him stories about secret spies who fought for a better world and fell in love with sassy waitresses. She spent hours on the phone, listening as the young boy recounted his day and shared with her everything that had happened. They were inseparable, even when separated by thousands of miles, and Margaret loved the boy more than she’d ever loved anything or anyone in her entire life, including her darling Angie, which was why, when that fateful call came, she dropped everything (including a very important meeting with the Minister of Defense) and went straight to Malibu, a whole new level of anger burning inside her chest all the way there.

It had been a Wednesday and a very busy day when the call came. She had been so focused on her conversation with Agent Fury that she’d almost missed the call. She quickly answered the phone, apologizing to the young agent for the interruption while assuring him it was too important a call to miss, and almost passed out with worry when she heard her darling boy sobbing on the other end of the like.

“Tony? Tony, my darling, what’s the matter?”

“Can you come pick me up? Please, aunt Peggy? I wanna leave”, he begged between sobs.

“My darling, what’s happening? Are you hurt?”

“Daddy is angry with me and he’s scary and Jarvis is not here, please, Aunt Peggy?”

Margaret was already on her feet, telling Fury to secure her a jet right that moment while trying to calm her godson down at the same time.

“Where are you right now, dearest?”

“I’m in my room. Please, please, will you come here, please?” the child begged once more, sniffling.

“I’m on my way, my dear. I’ll be there as soon as possible, you hear me? You stay in your room, alright?”

She called Jarvis as soon as Tony hung up, desperately trying to reach the butler who did not pick up the phone. She would later find out that Jarvis was busy receiving the most disturbing news in the hospital, being held by his crying wife as the doctor explained his chances of survival. In that moment, however, she couldn’t help but curse the butler as she sat on the plane, worried sick about her darling boy who had sounded so terrified over the phone. She arrived at Malibu a few hours later, taking a cab to the mansion. Margaret wasn’t stupid. Howard and she had been friends for many years, a friendship that had started based on their mutual desire to prove their worth in a world that constantly told them they were not enough. She knew the man’s qualities and she knew his flaws. On her last visits, she had noticed how there was always a glass of scotch attached to Howard’s hand, how fast he lost his inhibition, slurring his words as he talked about lost hope and business difficulties. But, most of all, she had noticed how his eyes always seemed to narrow every time he turned his attention to Anthony.

Margaret entered the mansion without as much as a greeting to whoever had opened the door, marching purposefully up the stairs and straight to her godson’s bedroom. From the end of the corridor, she saw Howard banging his hand on the door of said bedroom, screaming obscenities, a bottle of scotch securely on his hand. He barely had time to turn his head towards the sound of clacking high heels on the wooden floor before he felt his nose break under Margaret’s fist. Howard fell backwards like a sack of potatoes and did not move anymore. The maid standing behind him screamed, hands on each side of her face, eyes wide in terror.

“That is quite enough of screaming, thank you very much”, Margaret reprehended the women, who kept staring at her like she had just grown another head, “Take Howard to his bedroom and make sure to leave some aspirin by his bedside, I’m sure he’ll need it later”.

She knocked softly on the door. “Anthony? Everything is alright now, my darling. Open the door”.

She heard the lock turning and gasped when the door opened, revealing her little boy. Anthony had a very red mark the size of a hand in his right cheek and the skin around his right eye was slowly turning purple. Margaret wanted to scream. She wanted to march into Howard’s bedroom and tear him limb by limb. She wanted to take Anthony away from that house and keep him safe and sound. Instead, she did the only thing she could do. She scooped the young boy in her arms, whispering soothing words in his ear as he cried, scared and confused as to why his father, the man who was supposed to love and protect him, would cause him such suffering. Margaret stayed there the whole afternoon, holding the little boy in her arms until Jarvis arrived. He had heard from the maid what had transpired in his absence and went straight for the little boy’s room, quickly taking him from his godmother’s arms, apologizing to his young sir for not being there when he had needed him most. His words were calm and soothing, but Margaret could see the anger burning in his eyes. It was good to know she wasn’t the only one enraged by what had happened.

Later that night, she and Howard talked. She shouted at him, her anger getting the best of her, even going as far as threatening to take Anthony away from them. And that was when everything changed. Howard stood up from his chair, a cold expression in his face as he informed Margaret that, should she try such thing, he would have no problem exposing her _preferences_ to the public. She knew exactly what he meant, although it was hard to believe a man she had once called friend would use such thing against her. _It would bring me no pleasure, Peggy_ , he had said in a firm tone, _but I’d do it. That boy will carry my legacy and you will **not** take him from me, you hear me? _And so, that day, Margaret and Howard’s friendship had ended. The Director of SHIELD knew she stood no chance. The world wasn’t yet ready to embrace the love between two women and should word of her love life get out, Margaret would lose everything she had fought for her entire life, including access to her darling Anthony. That day, Howard promised to never again lay a hand on the boy, but she knew that wasn’t enough. She could see the man her friend had become; his cold eyes said it all. She knew there would be other forms of abuse and she would have to watch, helpless, as this shell of a once great man destroyed her darling boy’s spirits, unable to protect him from it. That day, Margaret’s heart broke in a thousand pieces, never to be fixed again.

And so the years had passed as she watched the abused bestowed upon her godson. Anthony, however, never once lost his natural glow. He stood his ground, staring at his father in defiance, never once wavering. Margaret could not be more proud of her darling boy. But as Anthony grew, his sense of self worth diminished. He thought of himself as unlovable. After all, if his own parents did not care for him, then how could anyone else? And no matter what Margaret or Jarvis or Ana did, they could not convince the young boy that he was loved and it broke their hearts a little bit more every day. As time went by, Jarvis passed away, Anna soon following him. Anthony was sent to a boarding school, where he spent every holiday season alone. At first, he would call his godmother every day. After a while, the calls became rarer and rarer until one day they simply stopped coming. And Margaret wept, unable to do anything but watch her boy from afar. She sent him cards and gifts for him birthday and Christmas. She called frequently, although Anthony rarely answered. She had expressed just how proud she was of him when he joined MIT at fifteen and stood there in the middle of the crowd, applauding him when he received his diploma, his parents nowhere to be found. She was there to hold his hand as people from all around the country paid their respects to Maria and Howard Stark. _What a privilege it must have been to be raised by such incredible people_ , they would say and Anthony would nod, trying so very hard to hold the tears that threatened to fall from his big, brown eyes. Despite her best efforts, Margaret was unable to shield her darling boy of the horribleness of the world and she hated herself for it.

* * *

Margaret was walking from one side to the other, the _clack_ of her high heels hitting the cold floor echoing through the empty corridor.

“They are late”, she complained, her English accent much more accentuated, as it usually happened when she was angry or nervous.

Before Agent Hill could answer, the doors on the far side of the corridor opened to reveal a very dirty Anthony on a wheelchair, followed closely by his Lieutenant friend and the Captain himself. Margaret quickly walked towards her godson, kissing his bandaged forehead carefully.

“My darling boy, you are the reason half my hair has gone white”, she said with a smile and tears in her eyes. Anthony smiled back at her.

“Sorry, auntie. Oh, and, next time, please send a better team? I had to do all the work myself”, he complained halfheartedly.

Margaret shook her head with a quiet laugh, kissing his forehead once more before letting Rhodes take him to the bedroom, “I’ll be with you in a minute, Anthony”, she promised, watching both man disappear into the corridor before turning to Steve, a very serious expression in her face, “I received your report, Captain. It seems we’ve both come to the same conclusions”.

“The Lieutenant Colonel was the one who brought it up, ma’am. But he doesn’t believe the leak came from the soldiers or anyone in the Air Base”.

“I agree. The Ten Rings were too well informed. I believe someone very powerful paid them to eliminate my godson. I have my suspicions, but I can’t be certain”, she said with a thoughtful expression, glancing to the room where Anthony and Rhodes were, “Did Anthony see your faces?”

“No, ma’am. The Winter Soldier, Hawkeye and I remained with our faces covered the entire time. The Black Widow, however, was exposed”.

“Good. Romanoff is an excellent spy and I have a job that she would perfect for. You three, however, will have a different mission. I believe that whoever made an attempt on my godson’s life will most likely try again. He must be watched carefully. However, knowing Anthony as I do, he will outright refuse a bodyguard”, she explained, and then smiled at the Captain, “Tell me, Rogers, have you ever gone to college?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is dealing with everything that's happening and Steve, well, Steve is a dumbass.

Three months. For three long, unending months, Tony thought about going home. Every night he’d lay down on the hard stone floor, his body shivering from the cold wind that seemed to crawl under his skin, and he’d think about the small apartment where DUM-E was probably wheeling around, beeping with worry, waiting for him to come back. He’d think about lying down on his king sized bed, under his warm Star Wars covers, drinking a hot cup of coffee with lots of sugar and cream while he watched some old TV show. Every single day, he thought about leaving that god awful cave in the middle of the goddamn desert and finally going home. And now that it had finally happened, now that he was finally here… it just didn’t feel like home at all.

His apartment, once a beloved place where Tony would come up with amazing scientific innovations or just chill after a hard day of work, became a strange place he no longer recognized. Most of the time, he felt like the walls were closing in on him, somehow sucking out the air from the room. Sometimes, he’d find himself in a corner, sweating like a pig, hands gripping his hair, almost tearing it out, rocking back and forth with his eyes closed, desperately trying to rid himself of the memories that threatened to suffocate him. When that happened, he’d feel Rhodey’s strong hands touching the sides of his face, his soothing face assuring Tony that he was home, that everything was alright now. But the young engineer knew it was all a lie because _home_ didn’t exist anymore. All there was now were the memories that never left him alone. Rhodey and Aunt Peggy always tried talking to him, begging him to open up, and he wanted to, God, how he wanted to. He wanted to tell them everything, he just didn’t know how to do it. How could Tony make them understand that the food tasted like ashes in his mouth? How could he put in words the terror he felt every time he took a shower? How to say that he had to take a million deep breaths, fighting off the tears every time he washed his hair because the water falling on his face felt too much like the times they had shoved his head inside a bucket until he almost drowned? But, most of all, how could he tell his best friend and his godmother that the only thing keeping him alive in that moment was the anger that burned inside his chest? That every dream, every wish, every plan he had ever made had been destroyed the moment he saw Yinsen take his last breath, leaving an empty spot in his very soul that could only be filled by one thing: vengeance. He could never tell them all that.

So he stayed quiet, never uttering a word about what had happened over there and never sharing just how broken and completely defeated he felt. He smiled to reassure the people around him that he was fine. He got up every morning and went to class. He worked on his thesis and he came back home. He ate whatever Rhodey put in front of him, chewing and swallowing like a robot, and then he went to sleep, too exhausted to try and stay awake. And that’s when the nightmares would come. And every night, without fail, he’d wake up covered in sweat, shivering, tears streaming down his face as he desperately tried to calm his erratic heart, to erase the memories that seemed to claw their way into his brain. And then, the memories of the desert started to slowly blend with the memories of his childhood, making the whole thing so _so_ much worse.

Because, see, Tony did not have many happy memories of his childhood. Even the good ones were often tainted by his father’s awful behavior. He hadn’t been a happy child, he was very much aware of that. He could not remember a single occasion where Howard had complimented him. He could, however, recount every single time his father had screamed drunken threats at him in the middle of the night as the little boy hid under his covers, tears streaming down his face, terror clear in his eyes. He could not remember a birthday in which his father had been present and, even if he was there in the mansion for the celebrations, he’d always spend the entire day in his office, talking on the phone about things that were much more important than the birthday of his only son. He remembered every cutting word, every insult that had been burned on his skin, never to be forgotten. So it was easy, at times like these, when he was feeling lost and scared and sad, to drown in these awful memories, to feel the rejection that still screamed inside his chest, the inadequacy, the shame. So, every time that happened, every time these feelings became too much, every time his brain became too loud to bear, Tony would do the only good thing he knew to deal with his pain: he’d eat.

So, that night, after waking up from yet another nightmare, he got up and dragged himself to the kitchen, careful not to wake up Rhodey, who was most likely sleeping peacefully in his own room. He opened the cabinets and the fridge, trying to find something, anything, sweet that could bring him some comfort, and then he saw it. He touched the small piece of paper taped over the box, smiling softly when he read the words. _For my boys. Love, Mama Rhodes_. He carefully took the note and put it in the second drawer with the many other notes Mama Rhodes had sent over the years, and then, curious as to what delicious food Rhodey’s mom had sent them this time, opened the box. And then promptly started crying. He took one of the cookies, biting into it and closing his eyes, unable to keep the tears from falling. _Home_ , he thought, _they taste like home_. They tasted like late nights at the kitchen, where a little boy ate chocolate chip cookies and drank warm milk. They tasted like a long conversation about robots and space and science. They tasted like the loving hug of a butler that was more a father to him than his own blood father. They tasted like home, the home that Tony had desperately wished for as a child, and only got glimpses of.

He sat on the floor, in the middle of the kitchen, the box of cookies on his lap. He ate and cried and thought of a family he’d never had and of a father figure that he’d never see again. He cried about all the marks, the visible and the hidden ones, that were left in his body by Howard, by Tiberius, by the Ten Rings. And on that night, as tears ran down his face, he made himself a promise: they would never hurt him again. _Never_.

* * *

“He’s looking at you”, Bucky whispered in a very low tone, putting his head even closer to Steve’s.

“Stop looking at him, Buck!”

“I’m not looking at him, he’s the one looking over here!”

“If you see him looking it’s because you’re looking back at him, so stop it”.

 _“You guys are not very good with this whole spy thing, are you?”_ Clint asked through the earpiece and, even at a distance, Steve could see he was smiling as he swept the floor with an old broom.

“We’re more of the take names, kick ass variety, if you know what I mean”, Bucky replied, taking a sip from his water bottle.

Clint snorted and said nothing else.

“Look, I’m telling you, he’s looking over here. And he won’t stop looking. You think he recognized us?”

“For fuck’s sake, Bucky, stop looking at him _”_ , Steve angrily replied for the millionth time.

“Oh, shit, he’s coming over here. Abort, abort, abort!”

_“What do you mean, abort? What’re you gonna do, throw your shoe at him and run?”_

“Do **not** give him anymore stupid ideas”.

“Ok, I’m out, you deal with his, bye”, Bucky said in a hurry, taking his water bottle, his jacket and his backpack and literally running as far away as he could from the fountain where Steve and he had been sitting.

“Bucky!”, Steve exclaimed, “’Till the end of the line my ass, what a…”

“Hey”.

Steve went rigid as soon as the melodic voice entered his ears. He turned slowly, gulping, and forced a smile.

“Hey”.

“I’m Tony”, the brunette introduced himself.

 _Yeah, I know, I’m a spy who works for your godmother and I’m here to keep an eye on you so no one else tries to murder you,_ his brain immediately screamed at him. “Steve”, he answered instead, saluting the brunette.

 _“OH MY GOD, DID YOU JUST SALUTE HIM?”_ , Clint shouted in his ear, but Steve just ignored him.

“Uh”, Tony replied, confused, before huffing a laugh and saluting him back, “at ease, soldier. So, what happened to your friend?”

“Who?”

“The one who ran like he just ate three burritos with extra spices and suddenly found himself in desperate need of a bathroom due to some explosive diarrhea”.

“That’s… oddly specific”.

Tony shrugged. “I like to live on the edge”.

“He just… forgot he had something to do and then he remembered it and he ran… to do… the thing he forgot but remembered”.

 _“Wow, you are SO bad at this. I can’t wait to tell Nat”_ , again, Steve ignored Clint’s little quip.

“Right”, the brunette said, sitting down next to Steve, “So, you single?”

_“OH MY GOD”._

“Oh… Uh, I’m… Yeah, I’m single”, Steve stammered, nervously tapping his pencil on the notebook he had on his lap, “Yeah, single, I’m single”.

“Cool. So,”, he started talking but then stopped, looking down at Steve’s notebook and then taking it from Steve’s hand,“…Wait, is this… Is this me?”

“ _Oh my God, dude, you’re literally the color of Nat’s hair right now”._

Steve was very much aware of that. He could actually feel his entire face and chest burning red with embarrassment as Tony smiled at him, showing him the drawing.

Thing is, Steve wasn’t blind. He knew perfectly well he was on a mission, thank you very much, but… Tony was handsome. Even when they’d had rescued him ― well, given him a ride really ―, and the young engineer had been all skinny and dirty and aloof, he had noticed how handsome he was. And he hadn’t stopped thinking about the man ever since. He thought about Tony’s sarcastic answers, his warm brown eyes that irradiated strength even when his body was weak, his reassuring smile and, most of all, his courage. It had been so long since Steve had felt this way about someone and, ever since the whole _super serum_ thing, he couldn’t exactly tell people what he did or who he really was, which made dating so very hard. Not to mention the shared life experiences. The only other person who could ever understand what he had gone through was Bucky and he was very straight. But now, now, here he was, with a very handsome man not much younger than him asking him out with a smile. He had given up so much of his life already. He didn’t think he could do it anymore.

“Yes. Yes, that is you. Sorry, I just… like drawing”.

“It’s very good. You’re very talented”.

“Thank you”.

“Well, here”, Tony said, giving him back his drawing, “So, dinner?”

“Dinner?”

_“Oh my God”._

“As in having dinner with me. You know, a date?”

“I like dates”.

“ _You like being murdered and having your body disposed in the middle of nowhere by a secret agency? ‘Cause that’s what’s gonna happen to you, dumbass”._

“Great. So, I live close by so maybe we could meet here?”

“That’s great”.

_“ABORT ABORT ABORT, DUDE, HOLY FUCK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”_

“Great. I’ll see you here at 7”.

“7 it is”, Steve replied with a big smile.

Tony smiled back at him and jokingly saluted the blonde once more before getting up and walking towards the nearest building. Steve just stared at him, the biggest smile on his face, until he disappeared inside the building.

Steve had a date! For the first time in years, he actually had a date! He had a date with Tony! Tony, who was his boss’ godson. Tony, the target he was supposed to shadow _in secret_ and protect _in secret_. The smile immediately disappeared, giving way to a look of absolute terror.

“Oh, no”.

_“My thoughts exactly, you unbelievable dumbass”._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm so sorry this took so long! My grandmother had to move to a new house and she had an infection and my grandpa spent the week at that hospital and I've been running back and forth these past two weeks helping my grandparents and my mom with everything. It was a nightmare!!
> 
> But here I am, back in the game, and with a new chapter! Hope you guys liked it! (;


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Steve have a 'date' and some things are uncovered.

“And you said yes”.

“Yes”.

“Even though you _know_ we’re supposed to be doing this in secret?”

“Yes”.

“Why are you like this, Stevie?”

“I honestly don’t know”.

Steve and Clint had told Bucky everything. Well, Steve had told Bucky everything. Clint had tried, but he was laughing too hard and couldn’t finish his sentences.

“You can’t go on this date”, Bucky replied, walking from one side of their small living room to the other.

_“He can’t **not** go on this date”_, Natasha intervened, looking at them disapprovingly. Clint had face timed her earlier, hoping she would have a better solution than Steve’s (“we run to Mexico and we stay there until Peggy Carter dies”).

“Why the hell not?” Bucky inquired, frowning.

_“He’s been through enough without being stood up on a date. You said yes, you have to go. Just don’t be… you know… likeable”._

“He’s a 6 feet tall sack of muscles with blond hair and blue eyes. He could be fucking Scrooge and I guarantee Stark is gonna climb him like a Christmas tree”, Clint replied taking a bite of his ham and jam sandwich, making Bucky wrinkle his nose in disgust at him. Steve, on the other hand, turned into a deep red.

“Oh my God, you _want_ him to climb you like a Christmas tree, don’t you?” Bucky accused, pointing a finger at him.

“Maybe I do”, Steve replied all defensive.

“Stevie, please tell me you’re joking. This is a mission! _A mission!_ We’re supposed to be _undercover_. Widow, help me out here!”

_“Bucky’s right. Look, I’m not supposed to be saying this to you, but things… Things are not looking good for Stark. Director Carter thinks something big is going on and I’m inclined to agree with her. Listen, I gotta go. Steve, just… Think about what you’re going to do, okay? This mission is big shit, so… Be careful”,_ and then she hung up.

Clint, Steve and Bucky stared at each other.

“So, what you gonna do?” Clint asked, bits of jam spitting out of his mouth as Bucky yelled _HEY MAN_ , _COME ON_.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just going to tell him that I’m not… interested in something more. I don’t know, maybe we can be friends”.

“Friends is also a problem”, Clint started saying, but was immediately interrupted by Steve.

“Look, I told Director Carter that I wasn’t a spy, that I don’t _do_ undercover shit. And she insisted on putting us here anyway. I’m not good with this hiding shit. I’m more of a break down walls kind of guy”.

“It’s true, he’s literally broke down walls before to get into a room”.

“Cool”, Clint nodded, fist bumping Bucky.

“And Director Carter knows that. She knew that when she put me on this mission so I’m gonna do things my way… And if she isn’t happy about it, well, she can just…”

“Kiss your ass?” Clint offered.

Steve look appalled. “What? No! That’s so rude! I’d never say something like that about a dame!”

“Did he… did he just call Margaret Carter a dame?”

“Yep”, Bucky replied with a smirk.

“That’s adorable… and also kinda weird”.

“So, you’re going out with Tony Stark?”

Steve took a deep breath and nodded firmly. “I’m going out with Tony Stark”, then his eyes widened, “Oh my God, I’m going out with Tony Stark. What should I wear?”

* * *

In the end, and after many, many, _many_ changes of clothes, Steve had decided, with Clint’s and Bucky’s help, that it was best to just wear something simple, something that he was used to. So, here he was, standing in front of the fountain, wearing a pair of dark jeans that, according to Clint, _‘really made his ass pop’_ , a black t-shirt and a leather jacket. He was nervous. Scratch that, he was _very_ nervous. He kept tapping his foot and looking around and then at his watch every five seconds. He knew he was early, but he couldn’t help it. Steve knew deep down that nothing could happen between him and Tony. He knew that, he did, but he couldn’t help the excitement that threatened to burst out of his body.

“Wow. Hi, handsome. You waiting for someone?”, he heard a voice from behind him and turned around, smiling.

“I was, actually, but it looks like I was stood up”, he joked right back.

“Only a crazy person would stand you up. But hey, their loss is my gain! So, can I interest you in the best burger you’ll ever eat?”

“I wouldn’t say no to that”.

So they walked side by side for a few blocks until they reached a food truck parked nearby Charles River. There was a long line to place their orders, so they talked while they waited.

“So, you’re an artist”.

“Well, artist is a bit much. I just like drawing. I’m an art major. You’re an engineer, right?”

Tony gave him an odd look. “How do you know?”

“Uh... You’re kinda of famous. I mean, youngest student to ever get into MIT, right? How old were you when you got in?”

“I was fifteen”, Tony replied, stepping forward as the line moved, “I’m actually finished with my degree and working on my PhD now”.

“That’s… Wow. You must be some kind of genius or something”, Steve teased, putting his hands in his pockets.

“In some areas, I guess. Although, if we were talking about art, I’m guessing _you_ ’d be the genius one. Those drawings, they were pretty good”.

“Thanks”, Steve replied, feeling his face grow hot, “I always loved to draw. I used to spend whole days drawing when I was kid”.

“Really?”, Tony asked, wanting to know more, but it was finally their turn to order. The engineer ordered his usual burger with fries and helped Steve choose as well, telling him what was good and what wasn’t. The menu was a big blackboard hanging on the backside of the truck, so Tony had to hold Steve’s arm and stay on his toes to be able to see it properly. He got a bit closer to Steve, pointing to his favorite dishes as he showed them to the blond. Steve stiffened when he felt Tony’s slender hand close on his bicep. He kept staring ahead, feeling a chill travel his whole body, from his neck to his toes, when the engineer got closer to his ear, his chest fully touching his arm now, as he talked in a low tone about the ingredients on every burger. Steve tried to pay attention, God he really did, but it was like his brain had simply stopped working.

“So, which one are you gonna get?”, Tony asked, seeming completely unaware of Steve’s struggle.

“Uh, the pork one, please”.

“Good choice. We’ll share the fries, thanks”, he told the girl who was taking their order. His hand slid down from Steve’s arm to his hand, intertwining their fingers as he pulled the taller man to a nearby wooden table. By the time they sat down, Steve was already very uncomfortable, trying to get his very unexpected hard-on under control.

“So, you were saying something about drawing as a child?”

“Uh, yeah”, Steve replied, trying to get his brain to work again, “I was sick a lot when I was a kid so I’d miss a lot of school. I’d just stay at home, looking out my window, drawing everything I saw, you know?”

Tony smiled. “That’s nice. But I gotta say, it’s hard to believe _you_ were a sick child”.

“I wasn’t like this when I was younger. I was skinny and sickly”.

“So what happened?”

Steve suddenly stopped. He opened and closed his mouth and then frowned, as if measuring his next words very carefully. “I went through a growth spurt”.

“Must have been one hell of a growth spurt”, Tony laughed.

They talked until their orders were ready and then they talked some more as they ate. Steve thought he might actually die when Tony started moaning after every bite. He knew he was absurdly attracted to the brunette, but that was getting ridiculous. _Bucky’s right_ , he thought, moving slightly to adjust himself on the chair, _I really do need to get laid_.

After they were finished with their food, Steve offered to take Tony home, which he promptly accepted. It didn’t take them long to arrive at the engineer’s building ― he hadn’t been joking when he said he lived close by. They stopped at the door, staring at each other.

“So…”, Tony said, smiling at Steve.

“So…”

 “You’re not a very good spy, are you?”

It was like the world suddenly came to a stop. Steve stared at a smirking Tony with wide eyes, and found himself completely lost for words.

“I… You… What? When… I didn’t… What?”

“Wow. Scratch that, you’ve gotta be the worst spy ever”, Tony laughed, rolling his eyes, “Seriously, does Aunt Peggy know me at all? I’ve just been kidnapped. And then suddenly there are two guys showing up everywhere I go! I’m a genius, you know”.

Steve was pretty sure he had never looked more stupid in his entire life. He just kept looking at Tony, opening his mouth and closing it again.

“How… How did you…?”

“I checked your records. It said you’ve been at MIT for two years, but that’s bullshit. MIT has cameras everywhere and they keep the video records for at least two years so I hacked them. My AI reviewed all the footage and he didn’t find any trace of you guys. You just got here and you’re pretending to be a student so you can keep an eye on me. Am I wrong?”

Steve sighed and shook his head. “No. You’re not wrong. Bucky and I are SHIELD agents and we’re here to make sure no one tries anything against you. Director Carter was… Well, she was worried”.

It was Tony’s turn to shake his head with a sigh. “Aunt Peggy is always worried. Look, I’m not gonna make your job difficult, okay? And I’m not gonna tell her I know either”.

“Why?”

“No offense, but I was ready to tear you a new one earlier today. But then we talked and I realized you’re a huge dork. You’re funny and nice and, after our date tonight, I kinda think it’d be fun to hang out with you”.

Steve smiled relieved. “I think it’d be fun to hang out with you too”.

“Cool. So… Since we’re on the same page… You wanna come in and watch a movie?”

“Seriously? That’s it? You find out I’m a spy and you’re okay with it?”

Tony shrugged and then looked away, touching his chest where, unbeknownst to Steve, the arc reactor was, his heavy weight a constant reminder that the engineer would carry forever, “I guess… I thought maybe I could use some more friends”.

He looked back at Steve, who was smiling softly at him. “I’d like that, Tony”.

“What, the friends part or the movie part?”

“Both”.

“Yeah”, Tony nodded and turned around, opening the door and walking in with Steve right behind him, “Okay. So, you wanna watch 007?”

* * *

**Malibu, CA.**

_“Our master has been more than patient with you, Obadiah Stane. He begins to tire of your incompetence”._

“MY INCOMPETENCE?”, Stane shouted at the phone and then lowered the tone once more, glancing at Rushmore’s desk to make sure she was still out making copies, “ **You** were supposed to get rid of the boy, **you** let him escape”.

_“You did not inform us the target was Tony Stark. You paid us trinkets to kill a prince”._

“He is not a prince”, he hissed, his face growing redder by the second, “Stark is a spoiled brat, nothing more”.

_“The spoiled brat is the one who designs the weapons, is he not? Without him, there are no weapons. And without weapons you are of no use to us. Control your jealousy, Stane, and think this through”._

“What do you think is going to happen when the boy turns twenty-one in six months? He’ll inherit _everything._ It’ll become much harder to sell the weapons without his knowledge”.

_“He might be persuaded…”_

“He’ll be persuaded of nothing! Boy is just as much a stubborn ass as his father! He needs to be gone so **we** can continue to make business”.

_“Very well then. You better be right about all this, Obadiah. Our master does not accept failure, as you well know”._

“Then good luck to you when you tell him it was **your** fault the boy escaped”, Stane said before slamming his phone on the desk, touching his forehead with both hands, feeling one hell of a headache coming.

A few minutes later, a knock on the glass called his attention. He waved for the girl to come in and smiled at her.

“Natalie, good. You have the copies, my dear?”

“All here, Mr. Stane”, the red headed woman said, putting the papers on his desk, “Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?”

She was absolutely beautiful, there was no denying it. And incredible at her job, which was a plus. _A bit dumb for my taste_ , Stane thought to himself, _but very nice to look at, that’s for sure_.

“That’s all for today, Natalie. You can go home, dear. I’ll see you tomorrow”.

“See you tomorrow, Mr. Stane”, she said flirtatiously as she walked out of the room.

The woman smiled at the night guard as she exited the elevator, biding him a good night. She walked towards her car, the clicking of her stilettos echoing through the empty garage. Natalie Rushmore disappeared as soon as she entered the car, giving way for Natasha Romanov to appear with a tired sigh. She took a small device from her purse and put in her ear, pressing it just as she began to drive away.

“This is Romanov”.

_“Agent Romanov, excellent. Any news?”_

“You were right”.

_“I usually am”,_ Peggy Carter replied in a light tone, _“What precisely was I right about this time?”_

“The bugs won’t work. He has a device on his person at all times, a watch to be precise, that disrupts all signals. It will be impossible to record anything”.

_“Damn it. I hoped to be wrong about that. But we can work around this, I’m sure. I know Stane. He’s vain and too sure of himself. He believes no one can take him down, so he’ll slip”._

“I’ve noticed that. I’m guessing we might find something on his computer, but it’s password protected and if I try to hack it, he’ll receive a warning right away. His security system is absolutely amazing”.

_“Yes, we have Tony to thank for that, I’m afraid. I do not want to involve him on this unless strictly necessary, so let us keep trying, shall we? Anything else?”_

“I overheard a conversation. You were right. Afghanistan was a trap. He wanted the boy dead. I didn’t hear the other end of the conversation, unfortunately, but I’m betting the Ten Rings are now very interested in Tony and what he can do”.

Peggy swore loudly. _“I was afraid of that. Keep a close eye on him, Romanov. And keep me updated. I’ll kill all of them before they lay a hand on my godson ever again”._

“Yes, ma’am, will do. Romanov out”.

Natasha took the device from her ear, putting it back on her purse, and sighed. She’d have to warn those three idiots about the imminent threat. She didn’t even want to think about what exactly Peggy Carter would do to them if they failed this mission.

_Not an option,_ she thought to herself with a determined shake of her head, _the Black Widow does not fail_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some things will be explained in the next chapters, at least I hope so lol Comments make me happy, so leave me some so I'll know people are still reading this and let me know what you think!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony's friendship grows and there's a benefit to attend.

“Look, if you don’t believe me, just rewind the damn thing and I’ll show you”.

“And I’m telling you, we don’t need to do that because I have watched this movie a thousand times and I know for a fact that you’re wrong, so shut up and just accept defeat”.

“You’re just scared to go back to that scene because deep down you know I’m right”.

Steve bit back a smile as he watched Tony turning his whole body to the side with an expression on his face that said _I will murder you and not even regret it_.

“Steve… Listen to me, because if you want this friendship to continue, I need you to understand this… Han Solo **did not** shoot first. _Capisce_?”

Steve nodded with a sigh.

“Okay, Tony, whatever you say”.

Later that same night, though, Tony received a message with a link to an 8 minute YouTube video.

_I know how much you like having scientific proof, so I’m hoping this will be enough. #HanShotFirst #GetWoke_

The engineer lay down on his bed, phone still in hand and a big smile on his face. The last four weeks he’d spend with Steve had been some of the best of his life. Steve was sweet and funny and everything Tony had ever wanted in a partner… and he was also very much against the idea of dating Tony.

The whole situation sucked; there was no other way to put it. Steve was adamant that nothing could happen between them, especially given the fact that he was an agent working to protect Tony, and that a romantic relationship would be not only unethical, but also might complicate his job too much. Tony wasn’t thrilled about it, but respected and accepted Steve’s reasons nonetheless. The fact that they couldn’t be together, however, did not mean they couldn’t flirt shamelessly all the time. A touch on the arm whenever possible, holding hands when they went out to get food, lying his head on Steve’s shoulder during a movie or even running his fingers through Steve’s hair when he lay down with his head on Tony’s legs. The touches were harmless, but they were enough to drive him insane. There were times, however, when Steve seemed to forget himself and he’d just touch the engineer in an intimate way. Like when they were both on the line for Tacos and Tony felt Steve’s arms slowly encircle his waist. He held his breath and even closed his eyes, feeling the strong arms gently squeeze him just a bit, and then… his lips were on Tony’s neck, not exactly touching the skin, just… hovering there. He could feel Steve’s breath on his neck, slow and steady, making him shiver… His lips stood there for a few seconds, just blowing hot air on Tony’s neck, before he came to his senses and, with a sigh, stepped away, letting his arms fall from the engineer’s waist. Tony had turned them, his breathing erratic, only to be met with Steve’s sweet, sad smile. They never talked about these moments of weakness, preferring to pretend they had never happened instead, and cherishing them when they were in their own bedrooms, alone and free to remember and fantasize about things that could never happen.

And that was exactly what Tony did that night, after sending a quick, very sarcastic, text back to Steve. He just closed his eyes and thought of Steve’s smile, his eyes, his big, strong hands, completely unaware that Steve was doing the exact same thing a few blocks away from there.

* * *

It was a warm Thursday evening when things started to get a little bit more complicated.

“Are you sure about this, Tony?”

The engineer paid Steve no mind and continued to button his shirt, facing the mirror with a very determined look on his face.

“I mean, didn’t Obadiah tell you to keep a low profile?” Steve tried again.

“They throwing a benefit with my name on it and no one had the fucking decency to send me an invitation. The reporter was saying the reason I wasn’t expected to show up is because I have PTSD, Steve”.

Steve didn’t quite know how to respond to that. Sensing this, Tony sighed and turned back to him while struggling to fix his tie.

“Do you know who’s on Stark Industries’ Board of Directors?” Steve shook his head. “Rich, white, old men. And you know what rich, white, old men like most in the world? Power. In less than six months, I’ll be twenty-one and then I’ll own the controlling interest of the company. I’ll be CEO. I’ll be able to change whatever the fuck I want to change”.

“I still don’t get it”.

“Steve… Imagine you don’t want a _kid_ ― because that’s what I am to them, a dumb kid ― to own the largest technological empire in the world. What do you do?”

Steve shrugged, still looking confused.

“You file an injunction. But to do that, you need actual prove that this dumb kid is not suitable for the job, that he actually poses a danger to the company, that he could cause irreparable harm to the company. And how do you do _that?_ ”

There’s a sudden look of surprise in Steve’s face as he finally understood what Tony was trying to say.

“You tell the press that he has a serious psychiatric disorder”.

“Bingo. The press goes nuts, everybody makes assumptions, the military goes insane because Stark Industries is their main supplier and if some nut job is running it then things could go south and then the US government starts butting in and guess what, I’m out of my own company before I can even sit on the CEO’s chair”.

“Having PTSD doesn’t make you a nut job, Tony…”

“I know that”, Tony replied with a sigh, sitting down next to Steve, “I know that. But it won’t matter because people like that, people with money, with power, they don’t give a fuck about that, Steve. They want to keep the status quo and they will do anything to keep themselves in power. Trust me, I grew up in this world, I know what I’m talking about”.

“Okay. I’m not going to pretend I actually understand the politics behind this, because, honestly? I don’t. But if you think this is the right thing to do right now, then I’m with you, one hundred percent”.

Tony nodded and smiled at Steve.

“Thanks”.

Steve smiled back at him. “Here, let me help you with that”, he said, taking Tony’s tie and tying it with amazing skill.

“You’re pretty good at this”, Tony whispered, looking up at Steve as he finished the knot.

Steve’s eyes meet Tony’s and they simply sat there for what seemed like several minutes, just staring into each other’s eyes. Before they knew it, their foreheads were touching, noses bumping, lips so close to one another they could smell each other’s mint breath. Tony closed his eyes, starting to move forward, his lips slightly touching Steve’s for just a second before the captain’s voice filled the plane, making both men jump in surprise.

_We’ll be arriving shortly. Please, make sure you have your seatbelts on._

They looked at each other for a second before bursting into giggles.

“Sorry. I know you said we couldn’t, I just…”

“It’s hard. Yeah, I know”, Steve said softly while they both fastened their seatbelts, “Hey”, he called out when he noticed how nervous Tony had suddenly become, “everything will be fine”.

Tony smiled without much enthusiasm, nodding absently. _Famous last words_ , he thought to himself just as the plane began its descent.

 

The benefit felt more like an after party for the Oscars, in Steve’s opinion. Everyone was dressed to the nines, in fancy, expensive suits and dresses, glasses of champagne in hand as they talked and laughed. The whole thing felt fake somehow, and Steve couldn’t help but wonder if even half of these people gave a shit about the cause behind the benefit. He felt Tony’s hand slip from his and watched as the younger man walked purposefully towards Obadiah. Steve saw a flash of annoyance in his face before he smiled at Tony. He couldn’t hear what they were saying because the screams of the reporters and the people surrounding them, begging for an autograph and a picture, were just too loud, but he could see their expressions. It was obvious Obadiah was trying to mask his surprise, but there was something else in the way he looked at Tony… Steve just didn’t like it. The conversation between the two, however, was brief and soon Tony walked away, Steve following closely, glancing one last time at the CEO before turning his whole attention back to his ‘date’.

The party went on without any incidents. They ate, they drank ― well, they drank water because Tony wasn’t old enough and Steve was on the job ― and, at one point, they escaped to an empty balcony and Tony taught Steve how to dance amidst laughs.

“I need to go to the bathroom”, Steve said, taking a step back and away from Tony.

“Go. I’ll get us some of those chocolate thingies and then we can leave”.

Steve looked like he was about to disagree for a second, so Tony quickly reassured him:

“Steve, it’s a party. I’m safe. Go pee, for the love of Tesla”.

He nodded and left for the bathrooms just as Tony went in search of their dessert. He finally found the waiter across the room and quickly walked towards him.

“Excuse me, Mr. Stark?” a voice called him.

Tony turned around and almost slammed into a small, blond man. He was definitely standing out, with his old looking shirt and pants and glasses so big they covered half his face.

“Uh, yes? Do I know you?”

“My name is Harold. Doctor Harold Beesly. I work at Stark Industries, sir. It is very nice to meet you”, he said, extending a hand, which Tony promptly took.

“It’s nice to meet you as well”.

“I must speak with you, Mr. Stark. Do you have a moment?” He said, looking to the sides as if checking if anyone was listening. He seemed nervous.

“Of course”.

Tony, against his better judgment, followed the man back to the balcony where he and Steve had been dancing just a few minutes earlier.

“I have something you need to see, Mr. Stark”.

The man, Tony suddenly noticed, was carrying a small shoulder bag and was taking something out of it. For a second, Steve’s voice filled Tony’s head ― _danger, danger, danger, danger_ ―, and he took a relieved breath when all the man took out of the bag were small pieces of paper. Photos, as he discovered when Dr. Beesly gave them to him.

Tony felt like his stomach had just been punched. “What…?”

“These were taken yesterday, sir. It’s a small town called Gulmira”.

Gulmira…

_“You still haven’t told me where you’re from”._

_“I’m from a small town called Gulmira. It’s actually a nice place”._

It didn’t look very nice anymore. Blood, corpses, destroyed buildings. And then… He saw it. His hands twitched slightly as he stared at Abu Bakaar’s face, as he stared at the many boxes they were carrying. Boxes with his name on them.

“When were these taken?”

“Yesterday. Mr. Stark, I believe… I believe Stark Industries has something to do with this”.

Tony looked up with wide eyes.

“That’s a very serious accusation”.

“I’m aware, Mr. Stark”, the doctor said, once more looking around with fear in his eyes, “I came upon these photos thanks to a reporter who has been investigating this situation. But I can tell you, it is not the first time something like this has come to my attention”.

“Do you know if we authorized any shipments?”

The man grimaced.

“I asked around, Mr. Stark. There are no official documents regarding the shipment of weapons to those parts, but…”

“But?”

“But if the shipments had been stolen…”

“The company would’ve reported them”, Tony completed, turning his eyes back at the photos in his hand.

“I must go”, the doctor said. He turned back to Tony before opening the door, “Be careful with who you trust, Mr. Stark”, and, with that, he left.

Minutes passed. Tony continued to stare at the photos until he felt Steve’s hand on his shoulder and heard his worried voice.

“Tony? Are you okay? What are these?”

But Tony wasn’t listening. He wasn’t thinking. He walked with purpose, completely ignoring Steve’s shouts, pushing men and women out of his way. He found Obadiah outside and, before he knew it, he was grabbing the CEO’s arm and pulling him away from the cameras.

“Tony? What the hell…”

“Have you seen these pictures? What the fuck is going on in Gulmira?”

Stane merely glanced at the pictures and sighed, making a quick gesture for the reporters to stay away.

“Come now, my boy. You can’t afford to be that naïve”.

“No, I was naïve before, when they said ‘hey, here’s the line and we don’t cross it, and that’s how we do business’. But if we’re double dealing under the table… Are we?”

Stane looked at Tony with a serious look and then smiled.

“Let’s take a picture”, he said, taking Tony by the shoulders and turning both of them towards the reporters, “Tony… This morning, I filed an injunction against you”, he said in a whisper between the flashes of the cameras, “You’re not ready for this, it’s clear to me, it’s been clear for years now. It’s time for you to understand your place in this world, Tony. This business is about having an iron will and you, my boy, you’re no man of iron”.

And, with a short nod towards the reporters, Obadiah walked away, leaving a perplexed Tony behind.

* * *

“So, how was the party?”

Steve let himself fall on the couch, burying his head on the pillow.

“That bad, huh?”

He turned his head a bit.

“It was fine at first. But then, something happened, I don’t know what. Tony wouldn’t tell me, refused to even talk to me the whole way back”.

“Did you fuck it up?” Clint asked from the door while he ate his cereal.

“No! I mean, I left to go to the bathroom and then when I came back he had these photos and he was acting weird and then he had a talk with that Stane guy and it didn’t look like a friendly talk and he just… I don’t know, he was acting all weird. I’m worried”.

“Relax, man. Have some sleep, I’ll keep an eye on Tony and you can talk to him tomorrow morning”.

Steve nodded and got up, going straight for his room. He took his clothes off and lay down on his bed, checking his phone. No messages from Tony.

_> >Hey. I’m here if you need to talk. Just let me know._

He pressed send and left his phone on the nightstand before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

 

The next morning came and there was still no message from Tony. Steve tried to respect his obvious wishes to be left alone, but when lunch time was approaching and there was still no text or call, he started to get antsy. Clint assured him that everything was fine, that Tony hadn’t left his house nor anyone had come over since yesterday, but still… He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Finally, he decided that enough was enough and called Clint, saying he was on his way to relieve him for the day.

He rang the doorbell, but no one answered. He called Tony, still no answer. Now fully worried, Steve picked the lock and walked inside, gun in hand. He didn’t particularly like using fire arms, but, well, his shield wasn’t exactly portable. He checked the kitchen and the bathroom, there was no one there.

“Clint, Bucky, something’s wrong. Tony isn’t here”.

 _“What?”_ Clint asked, sounding worried, _“That’s not possible, I had eyes on the building the whole time, he didn’t leave and NO ONE got in”._

“I’m checking his workshop, stay alert, we might need reinforcements”.

Steve had never been to Tony’s workshop before. The engineer had always been very overprotective of his space and Steve accepted that without a second thought. He walked down the stairs and came across a big glass wall that simply opened for him as soon as he stepped in front of it. Gun at the ready, he walked inside and just… let his arms fall in surprise.

 _Sir? You have a visitor_. A voice said from nowhere.

Tony turned then and looked at Steve with a sheepish look while big mechanical arms took apart what seemed to be… armor. Tony was wearing fucking armor.

“So… This is awkward”.

_“Steve? Is he in there, did you find him?”_

Steve touched his earpiece, still in awe. “Yeah, I found him”, he let go of it and put his gun back in place, walking slowly towards Tony, “Are those… Are those bullet holes?!”

“It’s a long story”, Tony replied with a grimace, but Steve was having none of it.

“I have time. Start talking”.

* * *

The man was running. He looked behind him, trying to see if the shadow was still following him. He could see nothing. His glasses had fallen off somewhere. He tripped and fell, his face hitting the pavement first with such force his nose immediately broke.

Suddenly, there was a hand grabbing at his hair.

“Please”, he begged, spitting blood as he did so, “please, please, don’t…”

His cries turned into soft gurgling sounds and then… nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life's been a bit chaotic, but I finally managed to finish this chapter! I had a lot of work these past weeks, which is awesome because that means I might have a bit of extra cash to get myself a birthday present this month, YAY!  
> Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! (; Remember to leave a comment, I love reading your opinions and thoughts about the story!
> 
> PS: About the 'legal' pieces in this chapter, I know absolutely nothing about injunctions and, well, law in general, so let's just pretend all written in there is super correct, ok? lol


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony talk about their feelings and Team SHIELD discovers a few things.

Steve was sitting down on the old couch, looking straight ahead but not really seeing anything. Tony sat beside him, in a very uncharacteristic silence, waiting. The sound of his feet constantly hitting the floor was starting to irritate Steve. After a few seconds, he grabbed Tony’s knee, still looking straight ahead.

“Are you… Are you going to say something? Because I’m really trying to be all quiet and understanding, but I’m kinda dying over here, Steve”.

“You put on a metal armor, flew to a town controlled by the most dangerous terrorists in the planet, fought them, destroyed the weapons that Stane sold them under the table, was hit by a missile and then almost killed by the US Air Force… I am the worst bodyguard ever”.

“Well”, Tony said, looking sheepish, “I’m… sorry?”

“Are you?” Steve turned to look at him.

“No, not really. I had to do it”.

“Tony”, he started to say but shook his head and got up, exasperated, “Why didn’t you tell me? Hell, why didn’t you tell your Aunt Peggy? She is literally the director of the biggest secret organization in the world”.

“And if I told her, she would’ve told me that we needed to investigate, to confirm, she would’ve told me to wait… I couldn’t wait, Steve”, he replied, looking at him with so much feeling that Steve took a step back, “Those were my weapons, the weapons I designed!”

“You didn’t know, Tony…”

“And now I know! And I had to do something about it! I couldn’t wait, I couldn’t stand here, waiting, watching those people die and be tortured… I couldn’t do nothing now that I know what’s going on”.

“Tony…” he looked down with a sigh.

“Would you?”

Steve raised his head, looking at him once again.

“If you were in my shoes, would you have waited?”

He snorted and shook his head, “No. No, I wouldn’t have”.

Tony gestured towards him, as if saying ‘ _well, there you go_ ’.

“It’s just… You could have died, Tony”.

“Steve, I was kidnapped by a terrorist organization, waterboarded, tortured, starved… And I lived. I shouldn’t be alive unless it was for a reason. I didn’t always know what to do, you know. All I ever knew is that I’m good at creating things, making things, and I thought I could use that to make a better world. And even when my dad made me design weapons, I thought I was doing some good, you know? Saving some people, protecting people like Rhodey”.

He shook his head and threw his head back, hitting the back of the couch.

“Turns out I really was the Merchant of Death”, he said with a huff, “But now… Now I finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it’s right. And I can’t turn back. I can’t be the person that I was before. I need to do this”.

For a long couple of minutes, there was only silence.

“Let me help”.

Tony straightened his head, looking directly at Steve.

“What?”

“Let me help you. You don’t have to do this alone”, he said, walking towards Tony and sitting beside him, waiting for an answer.

Tony sighed and smiled, “I guess every Batman does need a Robin, right?”

Steve stopped for a second with a fake pensive look, “I think I actually prefer to be Catwoman in this scenario”. There was silence, and then, “You’re picturing me in a Catwoman suit, aren’t you?”

“Michele Pffeifer’s got nothing on you, babe”.

They both laughed at that. Steve took Tony’s hand in his and squeezed it lightly.

“It’s going to be dangerous, you know”, Tony whispered, looking down at their joined hands.

“I know. But don’t worry”, Steve said in a joking tone, “I’ll protect you”.

Tony huffed with a smile, shaking his head at him, and raised his eyes, looking right into Steve’s blue ones before lowering them to stare at his mouth. He felt him stiff all of a sudden, his breathing getting faster.

“Tony…”, he whispered in a hoarse voice, “We can’t…”

“Steve? Shut up”, and with that, Tony closed his eyes and ended the distance between them.

For some reason, Tony thought the first time he and Steve kissed would feel, well, different. He’d imagined fireworks going off in his head or feeling a sudden uncontrollable passion. Instead, he felt calm; his head completely empty. All he could feel and think about was Steve; his hands, his lips, his warmth. Too soon, Steve broke the kiss, pulling back far enough to look at Tony’s face. _This is it_ , he thought to himself, his tongue tracing his on lips as if to savor the taste of Steve’s mouth on his, _this is where it ends_. He was just about to try and convince the other man that they could just forget the whole thing when two strong arms circled his waist and pulled him closer. He ended up on Steve’s lap, with a loud yelp of surprise, one leg on each side, and didn’t even have enough time to truly understand what was happening before Steve smashed their mouths together, his hands grabbing at Tony’s hair, moaning as he explored every inch of his mouth.

In no time, Tony’s hands found Steve’s stomach under his shirt, touching every single inch of skin he possibly could. They separated only long enough for Steve’s shirt to be taken off and thrown on the other side of the room. He slowly ran his hands from his neck to the hem of his jeans, working on his zipper, desperate to open it already and just feel Steve’s length in his hand…

_Sir, there’s someone…_

“FREEZE”, someone screamed from the door.

It all happened to me. In a matter of seconds, Steve threw Tony off himself and to the side, where he would be shielded from whoever had screamed at them, and quickly drew his gun, pointing at the door.

“Buck?!” he shouted when he finally recognized the man, “What the hell are you doing here?”

_I tried to warn you, sirs._

“WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT, STEVIE?! You called and said Tony was missing and then you say you found him and then you go all weird and quiet, turn off your comm and don’t pick up your goddamn phone? I THOUGHT SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU!” Bucky shouted right back, putting his gun away and looking exasperated, “Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine”.

“Alright, then I have two questions: first, were you two making out? And second, who the fuck is that talking through the celling?”

_I am JARVIS, Agent Barnes; I’m an AI created by Mr. Stark and I assure you I am not on the ceiling_ , the AI responded with what sounded an awful lot like an amused tone.

“Yeah, well, you’re supposed to keep people out, J.”, Tony replied, finally getting up from the floor with a grimace.

“Oh, shit! Tony, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. And for the record, when I said I was into some pain, I was thinking more like a spanking or something”.

Bucky snorted, but thankfully said nothing.

“JARVIS, I thought I told you the workshop was off limits”.

_You did, sir. You also asked me to lift the ‘Home Alone’ protocol when Agent Rogers arrived._

“I meant just for Steve”, he complained.

_I apologize, sir, but you did not specify._

“Uh, is that… Is that a fucking robot?!” Bucky asked as excited as a kid on Christmas.

Steve and Tony exchanged a long look before the brunette sighed.

“Sit your ass down, Barnes. It’s a long story”.

* * *

By the time Steve and Bucky left Tony’s house, it was already dark outside. The engineer had assured them that there was absolutely no need of standing guard outside because JARVIS was more than capable of protecting him. Not only that, but the AI had also hacked all the cameras along the street and was constantly on alert for any possible threats. Steve had briefly wondered if Tony might have noticed a certain blonde on the top of a nearby building sometimes, but didn’t say anything.

Clint had been waiting outside for them, two streets away from the apartment. He looked anxious and asked for answers as soon as he got into the car. Steve explained everything that had happened, skipping the part about Tony’s suit of armor.

“Damn, man. It was literally killing me inside to stay here and wait around. But, you know, I figured you had everything under control and it’s best if he doesn’t know there’s a third spy, right?”

Steve had agreed with a nod and shared a look with Bucky, who had clearly noticed the omission of information and decided to trust that the blonde knew exactly what he was doing. They were almost home when Steve’s phone rang.

“Rogers”.

_“Where are you? Are you with the others?”_

“Uh, yes, we’re almost home. Something wrong?”

_“I don’t know”_ , Natasha replied in a rushed tone, _“Maybe. Did Tony talk to someone last night at the party?”_

“Yes. He said some SI worker gave him some pictures. We were just about to call you and Director Carter to tell you, actually”.

_“Shit”_ , she said after a brief silence, _“Ok. Forget the apartment, get your asses to the office, the director is already waiting for you”._

“We’re on our way”, he replied, taking a turn just as he hung up the phone, "It was Natasha. We’re supposed to meet the Director now”.

“Something wrong?”

“Maybe. Sounded like it”.

“You think she knows that you made out with her godson?”

“YOU MADE OUT WITH HIM?” Clint exclaimed from the back seat and then promptly laughed out loud, “Holy shit, dude, did you get to second base?”

“I’m pretty sure he would’ve hit a home run if I hadn’t interrupted it”.

“I hate both of you”, Steve replied, taking yet another sharp turn, making Clint yelp as he was thrown from one side of the car to the other, “Seatbelts, please”.

 

Director Carter was already waiting for them when they arrived at the small, inconspicuous office building, and she didn’t look happy at all. Steve knew there was no possible way for her to know what he and Tony had been doing just hours before, but seeing her like that, with her icy stare and displeased expression, made him tremble on his feet. They all sat down in front of her and waited as she connected with Natasha.

“Agent Romanov”.

_“Doctor Harold Beesly did not show up for work today. The man has not missed a day of work in 25 years. I thought it was strange so I called his wife. She says he didn’t come home last night. She went to the police, but they told her they needed to wait 48 hours before filling a missing person report. Now, get this… She goes back home and finds out that all his things are gone and so is a suitcase”_.

“What, you think he was running from something?” Bucky asked, confused.

_“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe something worse. I asked around. Apparently, he’d been asking questions, weird questions according to some of the people here. And yesterday he was acting off, scared. I think he might have found something interesting”._

“So he either got scared and ran…”

“Or someone decided to shut him up”, Steve completed.

_“You told me Tony talked to some SI worker last night. I bet it was Beesly”._

“Tony told me the guy showed him some pictures of a place called Gulmira. Accused Stark Industries of dealing under the table”.

The Director slammed her fist on the table with a curse. “I knew it. I knew that big old bald walrus was no good, I told Howard a thousand times he wasn’t trustworthy”.

“Who’s the big old bald walrus?” Clint whispered to Steve.

“I’m guessing Stane?”

“Obadiah Stane”, Director Carter clarified, “A few days ago, Agent Romanov overheard a conversation between him and who we assume was the Ten Rings. He’s been supplying them with weapons. And from what we could gather, Stane was the one who ordered the hit on my godson”.

Steve tried to school his expression, tried very hard not to let the anger show on his face.

“So, Stane is our guy? Can’t we just arrest him?”

_“We need actual proof of that. Otherwise his lawyers will get him out and he’ll disappear before we can as much as breath”._

“That’s correct”.

“Tony told me something. He and Stane talked right after the guy showed him the pictures. Stane told him he filed an injunction against Tony yesterday morning. He was probably the one who told the board and the press that he has PTSD”.

“He’s trying to take Tony out of the game. A death right now would be thoroughly investigated, so he’s trying to gain time, keep my godson out”, the Director explained. She stayed silent for a second before sighing, “We need to bring Tony in on this. He’s the only one who can hack Stane’s computer”.

_“With all due respect, Director, I doubt Stark will be able to even pass through the door right now. Stane will never let him anywhere near his computer”._

“Tony is ingenious. I’m sure he will think of something. Meanwhile, investigate Dr. Beesley’s mysterious disappearance and report back to me. And please be discreet, Agent Romanov”.

_“Always”,_ Natasha replied before disconnecting.

“Now, you three”, the Director said, turning back to them. Her serious expression broke into an amused one, “Has Tony figured out who you are yet?”

They blinked, looking very confused.

“You knew he’d find out?” Steve asked.

“Of course. Tony is not stupid and he’s very observant”, she explained with a smile, “You and Agent Barnes were now supposed to be ‘spies’, Captain. You were supposed to distract my godson from the real spy”, she said, gesturing towards Agent Barton.

“Distract him?”

“Tony is very smart but he is also very sure of his intellect. I knew that he would pick you two out right away. He’d be so focused on what he found out about you, so sure that he’s uncovered the truth, that he would not pay a lick of attention to the actual spy. Also, janitors are practically invisible. A sad truth, but a truth nonetheless”.

“We were the decoy”, Steve said to himself, surprised.

“Indeed. Do you honestly think I would put two very unexperienced men to spy on my genius godson? I am the Director of the world’s biggest intelligence organization, you know”, she said, raising her eyebrow at them.

The three agents stayed silent, unsure about what to say.

“I need you to keep up the good work. Keep Tony safe”.

Steve vowed to do so with a sharp nod just as the others replied with _yes, ma’am_ and _you can count on us, Director_.

“Good. You’re all dismissed”.

* * *

Days passed with no news. Natasha was growing more and more frustrated every day and it was noticeable by the way she sounded angrier every time they talked about the Beesly issue. There was no evidence that the man had actually run away – no credit card trail, no car, no sign of him on any of the city cameras. Natasha was sure he’d been killed, his body disposed off somewhere untraceable, and she was determined to find out where and how the poor man had died.

Meanwhile, Director Carter had brought Tony up to speed with the whole investigation. They had locked themselves in her office and talked for hours while Steve and Bucky waited outside. In the end, the genius had taken less than ten minutes to come up with a device that would allow Natasha to successfully hack Stane’s computer and get all the evidence they needed. He assured his aunt Peggy that the device – and the program – would be ready by the end of the day and left, throwing Steve a longing look and a smile on his way out.

Steve fought the urge to smile and tried not to turn his head to follow Tony’s figure disappearing through the main door. It wouldn’t do for Director Carter to catch him checking her godson’s ass out, no matter how good an ass it was. He liked living too much to risk it.

“Barnes, Rogers. A word. Now”.

Both agents walked inside her office and sat down in front of her. The Director, however, remained standing, walking from one side of the room to the other, hands clasped behind her back as she did so.

“So… Which one of you is it?”

They looked at each other, confused, before turning their eyes back to her.

“I’m sorry, ma’am?”

She narrowed her eyes, closely watching Barnes before turning her attention to Steve. She circled her desk and walked slowly towards him, putting both her hands firmly on either side of the chair armrests. Steve’s eyes widened and he discreetly pulled back a little more, trying to put some space between the Director’s irate face and his own.

“Do you know how many men I’ve killed, Rogers?”

“N…No, ma’am?” he stuttered.

“In my entire career as a SHIELD agent and then Director, I’ve killed five men. I do not approve of senseless killing. I believe all men deserve a fair trial. Well… Not _all_ men”, she completed, slightly squeezing the armrests beneath her hands.

“Ma’am?”

“I know my godson better than anyone else. I saw the way he looked at you, and I saw the way you looked right back at him. So let me give you a piece of advice, Agent Rogers… Do not, under any circumstances, hurt my godson. Or, the next time I tell this story, it will be six dead men instead of five. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

“Crystal, ma’am”, Steve whispered, terrified, ignoring the loud snort coming from Bucky’s direction.

“Good. Now get out of my office”.

Steve was pretty sure he had never run so fast in his entire life.

 

Bucky and Steve separated right after their _meeting_ with Director Carter, mainly because Steve was going to meet Tony, but also because he was pretty sure his friend would tell Clint all about said meeting, in excruciating detail, and he didn’t feel like being made fun of at the moment. Of course, he didn’t count on Tony almost passing out from laughing after he told him what happened. He did find a way to shut him up, however, and he had to admit, it was a very pleasurable one. Their passion was something Steve had never experienced before in his life. Being with Tony was like burning from the inside out; he needed Tony like a thirsty man in the middle of the desert needed water. The raw need was so strong, so powerful, sometimes he could barely contain it. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before and he loved every minute of it.

After a heavy make out session, Tony decided it was time to start working on his device. The engineer was more determined than ever to bring Stane to justice and put Stark Industries back on the tracks. Steve sat on the old couch in the back and listened to Tony as he worked. He talked about putting an end to the weapons part of the company and about pouring all his resources on green energy and medical technology. He told Steve about all his plans, his ideas for making the world a better place, passion dripping from every word. They didn’t even notice the time flying by, and only realized how late it was when JARVIS announced Bucky’s arrival.

“What’s up, love birds. I brought food”, he said carrying a big brown bag and putting it on top of Tony’s table.

“Awesome. I’m starving…”, Tony replied, abandoning his keyboard and going straight for the bag. He opened it and looked inside, “So, did you bring Thai agaHOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK”.

He pulled back so quickly the bag turned over; a human skull rolled right out of it.

“Oh, right, that’s the skull bag; dinner bag is upstairs”.

“IS THAT A REAL SKULL?”

Buck snorted. “Why the fuck would I bring you a fake skull?”

Tony turned around and looked at him, bewildered, “WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU BRING ME A REAL ONE?”

“Well, this is a dead guy…”

“Oh, really?”

“… and Director Carter told me to bring it to you so you could use one of your reconstruction programs or whatever to see who the guy was”.

“My aunt Peggy told you to bring me a skull?”

“Well”, he said with a distant look, “she might have told me to get you out of the room and then do it, but I thought this way was easier”.

“When did you find this?” Steve asked, getting closer to the table and taking a long look at the skull.

“Another agent found it”, Bucky replied with a pointed look, “And she thinks this is our guy”.

“Ok, just… JARVIS, please scan the very real human skull on my table and run the facial reconstruction program. Hack the PD database and try to match the results with any missing person pictures in the area”.

“Actually, could he do that, but with Malibu’s PD? And maybe get everyone, not just official missing person’s reports?”

Tony nodded. “JARVIS, you heard him”.

_I shall do my best, sir._

“So… Food?”

Tony threw Bucky a very distasteful look, but ended up following him up the stairs and into the kitchen, with Steve right behind him.

“So, don’t you wanna know why we’re trying to figure out who the dead guy was?”

“I’d rather not talk about the skull in my workshop while I eat, thanks”, Tony replied, opening a container of food and moaning as the smell hit his nose.

“That reminds me, you might want to throw some rubbing alcohol on that table after it’s done”.

“Barnes, here’s what’s going to happen: as soon as JARVIS finds a match, you’re going to take that skull away and then you’re going to come back, take that table and burn it. Got it?”

Bucky shrugged and continued to eat.

“How long until JARVIS is done?” Steve asked, stealing some of his best friend’s shrimp.

“One hour”.

“What do we do until then?” Bucky asked with his mouth full.

“We kill time, I guess”.

And so, for the next hour, they tried to keep themselves busy. Tony worked on his program while Steve and Bucky played cards. Suddenly, JARVIS’ voice filled the room.

_Sir, I have finished my search and have identified one most likely match for the deceased in your workshop._

“Bring it up, J.”

A hologram suddenly appeared in front of them. A picture. The man had blond hair and big glasses covering half his face. Tony felt all the air leave his lungs at once, as it became harder to breathe.

“Oh, no”.

“You know him?” Bucky asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“That’s Doctor Beesly. And he’s the one who told me about Stane’s double dealing”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life has not been easy, my friends. I had to write this chapter between sessions and during the late night, so forgive any mistakes. Don't forget to leave some comments, so I can read them and feel that the work I put into it wasn't in vain lol  
> Also, this chapter has two of my favorite scenes. I hope you guys like it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony makes a decision and Peggy is not happy about it. Also, Stane.

Steve had fought alongside many different people throughout his career as a SHIELD agent. There were men who hesitated at the sight of danger, no matter how many times missions they’d been in. There were men who forgot all reason, who ran towards the danger, all guns blazing, without much of a care about their own wellbeing. Bucky had told Steve, more than once, that he was exactly like that. _A damn idiot with that overgrown plate of yours_ , he’d said, earning himself a glare from his friend every time. Steve knew he wasn’t far from the truth, though. There were situations that really did make Steve burn from the inside, a flame that engulfed his mind and made him reckless most of the time. For Steve, rage was loud as a thunder, burning red like a flame inside of him. He’d thought that it was like that for everyone, until earlier that night.

Tony’s anger was cold and silent. It was calculating. It was _I could have prevented this_ and _I should have noticed the signs_ and _this is my fault_. Steve could understand the need to blame himself, really, he could. He’d done it more times than he could count, really. But, somehow, Tony’s self-blaming was different, deeper, much more fueled with self-hatred and self-doubt. Throughout the entire meeting, as Director Carter talked about the small device Tony had created containing the program needed to access Stane’s computer without setting off any alarms, the engineer remained silent. His eyes were unfocused, cold. He kept staring at one particular spot of the table, not really seeing anything, seemingly lost in thought. Anyone else would think Tony was distracted, but Steve knew better. He could see the determination shinning in those brown eyes. He was formulating a plan and Steve was pretty damn sure he’d hate it.

At the end of the meeting, when the Director finally stopped talking, an eerie silence took over the room. Nobody knew what to say. It was in that moment that Tony finally lifted his head, brown eyes meeting the blue ones of his godmother.

“I’m going to Malibu”.

“Absolutely not”, Director Carter instantly replied, as if she had been expecting this all along and, given how well she knew her godson, that wouldn’t be far from the truth.

“With all due respect, Aunt Peggy, I wasn’t asking”, Tony answered with defiance.

“What on Earth do you expect to achieve there, Anthony?”

“When you expose Stane, Stark Industries is going to take a pretty big hit. We’ll lose credibility, investors, buyers… I have to be there. I can’t let the company fall under because of that sick asshole”.

“You can give interviews and statements right here where you are safe. Going back to Malibu will be like poking the bear with a short stick, Anthony!”

But Tony wasn’t listening. He shook his head, getting up from his chair with his hands firmly planted on the table. “I’m going, that’s final. I can take care of myself, Aunt Peggy”, he quickly mended when the woman opened her mouth protested, “I’ve taking care of myself my whole life”.

He saw the flash of hurt passing through her eyes, the sadness that seemed to set in them. It wasn’t fair, he knew. Aunt Peggy had done everything that she could to protect Tony. It wasn’t her fault that that hadn’t been enough. He refused to apologize for his words, however. Tony stood his ground, head held high, staring his aunt down with such determination that, after a few seconds, she finally relented with a sigh.

“Agents Barnes and Rogers will be accompanying you in your trip. You are not to step foot inside Stark Industries without my say so and you will leave the airport and go directly to the mansion, do you understand? Do not try me, Anthony”, she warned when he frowned at her stipulations, “It’s either this or I will put you in a cell until this whole matter has been resolved”.

Tony, in his turn, knew his aunt well enough to know that she meant every word. He nodded, agreeing to her terms, and left the room without another word, being closely followed by Steve and Bucky.

* * *

The plane ride to Malibu was mostly quiet. Steve kept glancing back at Tony from his seat, sometimes completely ignoring whatever Bucky was saying. He was worried about the engineer, and how could he not be? The Tony he knew was talkative, exuberant, filled with endless energy. This Tony was nothing but a shadow of the original. He knew the engineer was suffering, but his lack of communication was more than Steve could handle.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and got up, eyes still focused on Tony. He barely heard Bucky’s indignant _hey, I’m talking to you!_ as he strode towards him. Tony lifted his head, meeting Steve’s eyes as the blond sat down on the chair in front of him with a determined look.

“Talk to me”, he asked in a soft tone.

Tony sighed and looked away, staring at the clouds just beyond the glass window.

“There’s nothing to talk about”, he replied, sounding more tired than Steve had ever heard him.

“There’s plenty to talk about, Tony. I know you have a plan, a different plan from your aunt’s. I’m here, I can help… Just let me in”, he pleaded, holding Tony’s hands across the table that separated them.

Tony looked down at their joined hands with a pained expression before taking his own hands back in a slow movement.

“The plan is for the infiltrated agent at SI to use the device to get the proof we need. That’s it. I don’t have another plan, Steve”, he explained, shaking his head with yet another sigh, “This isn’t me hiding some fucked up plan from you, okay? This is just me thinking about the fact that I let Stane fool me for years. I believed him. I… Damn, I’d go as far as to say that I loved him. He was family, you know? He stopped my dad from beating me up; he backed me up when I told my dad I wanted to be an engineer instead of getting a business degree. Now I keep thinking about all these situations, all these things he’s done for me, and I keep wondering… Why? He stopped my dad because he wanted me to trust him? He backed me up because if I had gone to business school I’d have taken his place at the company? I keep imagining all these reasons why and it’s fucking up with my head”, he finished, frustrated.

Steve sat there, in silence, staring at Tony.

“I don’t know what to say to make it better, Tony”, he finally replied in a defeated tone.

Tony didn’t answer, merely turning his head towards the window once more, watching the clouds go by. Steve got up then and sat beside Tony, pulling his whole body towards himself and resting his head on the engineer’s. He felt the younger man tense under his touch for a moment and then suddenly relaxing, as if finally giving up. They exchanged no more words about the matter, but stayed like that for the rest of the trip, simply holding hands and feeling each other’s warmth.

* * *

**Malibu, CA.**

“What do you mean it’s not ready?”

The shout echoed through the room as the engineer in charge recoiled slightly, taking a small step back.

“Sir, the technology that would allow us to do what you’re asking, it’s… It simply does not exist”.

Stane laughed a humorless laugh and grabbed the terrified engineer by the shoulders, pulling him closer in a half embrace.

“This is the technology, right here!” he said, gesturing to be big arc reactor in front of them, “You just need to make it smaller”, he completed, letting the man go and taking a step closer to it.

“That’s impossible, sir…”

“TONY STARK WAS ABLE TO BUILD THIS IN A CAVE”, he suddenly shouted, turning all of a sudden and putting his finger right on the man’s face, “WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS”.

“Well, sir…”, the man replied, slightly trembling, “I’m not Tony Stark”.

“No, you’re not…” Stane said with a sigh. He took his phone from his pocket **,** checking for the message that had just arrived.

_Stark’s private plane just landed. Target accompanied by two other men. Thought you’d like to know._

“Luckily for me, my faithful contacts have just given me some good news”, Stane said, pocketing him phone once more and turning back to the engineer, “Which means your services are no longer necessary”.

The man had little time to be relieved, however, for Stane quickly took a gun from his back, shooting the man twice on the chest. The engineer fell, his eyes already unseeing before he even hit the ground. Stane put the gun away with all the calm in the world and, with a final glance at his masterpiece, he walked towards the door, leaving the room.

“Time to pay a little visit to my godson”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm incredibly sorry about the delay, guys! I'll try to update this fic more frequently now, since it's almost done! lol Thank you for all your kind comments on the previous chapters and I hope you can leave me some more nice comments on this one! (; Have a nice week, everyone!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha doesn't like gossip, but hey, sometimes it can be useful! Also, Tony and Stane meet up. It's not good.

Tony stood right outside the front door of his family’s mansion. He opened it slowly and watched, almost hypnotized, as the door softly bounced at the wall. The noise echoed throughout the empty room and it seemed to get louder and louder inside Tony’s head. He was very aware that Steve and Bucky were right behind him, patiently waiting for him to move. With a deep sigh, he finally managed to summon up enough courage to step inside the place that had given him so many nightmares.

Everything looked exactly the same, from the furniture to the big vase full of cherry blossoms, his mother’s favorite flower, on the nearby table. He half expected to see his mother coming out of the kitchen, Jarvis right behind her, as they discussed flower arrangements and drinks and canapes for whatever party she was throwing that week. He felt his eyes filling with tears and smiled softly at the memory.

Strong arms engulfed him all of a sudden and he let himself melt, closing his eyes and just enjoying the heat that seemed to emanate from Steve.

“Are you okay?” Steve whispered in his ear, leaving a kiss there.

“I haven’t been here since the funeral. I asked the company that cleans the house to keep everything the way it was, so I knew what to expect when I got here, I just…”

“Didn’t expect it”.

“I guess”, he replied with a sigh.

“Do you need a minute?”

“No. I’m okay. I need to prepare myself for the fallout that is definitely coming after we expose Obie… Stane”, he corrected himself with a firm tone, “Actually, there is this Italian place a few blocks from here and it’s amazing. You think you could maybe go there and get us some food?”

Steve smiled and nodded.

“Sure. I’m going to warn Bucky and I’ll be right back with your food. Text me the address and what you want”, he kissed Tony’s temple.

“Will do”.

Steve let him go and took a few steps towards the kitchen, where Bucky most likely was. Tony watched him go, taking a long look at his boyfriend’s behind before turning and going to his father’s office. He had a lot of work to do.

* * *

“I have some papers for you”, the woman said, somewhat apologetically, leaving yet another pile of documents on Natasha’s desk.

The SHIELD agent smiled sweetly at the other woman.

“It’s fine. I don’t have any plans tonight, so I might as well stay late and finish these”.

“You sure? Some of us are going out for drinks in a few. You should come with us”, she offered with a gentle smile.

“Thanks, but I should finish these”, then, she lowered her voice and got a bit closer to the other woman, who stepped forward, as if ready to hear a dirty secret, “the boss’ being a bit impatient lately”.

“Tell me about it”, the woman replied in a conspiratorial tone, “I heard some real weird things”.

That peaked Natasha’s interest, “Do tell”.

The woman looked to both sides and, seeming satisfied that no one was near enough to hear their conversation, started talking in whispers.

“Yesterday, after the meeting, I stayed behind for a while because I lost my pen; you know that one that Rick gave me? It was under the table so I went to get it and Mr. Stane walked in and he didn’t see me there. I was going to show myself, I swear,” she promised in a tone that very much told Natasha that Evelyn had had no intention whatsoever of doing that, “but he was talking on the phone with someone and he sounded really angry”.

“Did you hear the conversation?”

“Yes! He was angry because someone didn’t do their jobs and he told whoever it was that he was going to take matters into his own hands. I don’t know who screwed what up, but someone is definitely getting fired. I hope it’s Cindy, she’s always stealing my yogurts, that bitch”, she finished with a roll of her eyes.

Natasha bit her lower lip, trying to maintain her composure, even though her fingers were already touching the phone in front of her, desperate to send a message to Bucky and Steve.

“Did you hear anything else?”

“No, not really. He left right after. But I was talking to Michael and he said that the whole engineering department got an email, like two minutes ago, saying they’re not supposed to go to one of the warehouses today”.

“Did it say why? Which warehouse was it?” Natasha asked and the curiosity in her voice seemed to please Evelyn, because she half smiled, all proud of herself.

“I don’t remember which one, but everybody was super curious. Especially because one of the chief engineers was supposed to be doing a special project there or something”, she stepped back from the table and smiled at Natasha, “Well, enough gossip. I need to go; the others must be waiting for me. Are you sure you don’t want to join us?”

“Sorry, can’t today”, Natasha replied with a fake apologetic tone, “Maybe next time”.

“I’ll hold you to it, Natalie”, and with a final exchange of smiles, Evelyn walked away towards the elevators to meet her friends.

Natasha watched the woman’s back, her smile slowly fading into a frown. She quickly took her phone when Evelyn was far enough and sent a quick text to Bucky and Steve.

_> > Something is going to go down. Be careful. – N._

She noticed a shadow from the corner of her eye and quickly slid the phone into the open drawer, pretending to take the stapler.

“Rushmore?”

She raised her head and smiled at Stane.

“Good evening, sir. Can I help you with anything?”

“Are you done with the documents?”

“Not yet, sir, but I’ll finish them tonight”, she replied.

“Good. I have a few problems to take care of right now, so I’ll see you tomorrow”.

“Have a goodnight, sir”.

“Oh, it will be, Rushmore”, he said with a pleased smile before leaving.

Natasha watched him go and thought about sending yet another text to the boys, but decided against it. This was her chance to put the plan into action; so, with one last look at the phone, she closed the drawer and took the small flash drive around her neck, going straight for Stane’s office. She had a job to do. She only hoped Steve and Bucky would do theirs as well.

* * *

“How much you’re making over there? Because I can triple it right now”.

Pepper sighed on the other end of the line and Tony could almost hear the smile in her voice.

 _“It’s not about money and you know it, Tony”_ , she replied, _“I didn’t go to Stanford to become a personal assistant. I need more than that”._

“You’re going to be my COO, not my personal assistance!”

Pepper snorted, _“When it comes to you, they’re the same thing”._

“Pep, love of my life, my little ray of sunshine, my darling…”

 _“Tony…”_ , she warned.

“I promise you it’s not going to be like that. I…”, he sighed and lowered his voice a bit, “I need someone I can trust, Pep. I’ve never been all that involved with the company and I’m about to make some huge changes to it. It’s going to be a PR nightmare and I’m pretty sure we’re going to lose a lot of investors, not to mention the board…”

_“Is that supposed to convince me? ‘Here, Pepper, give up the nice job you have right now and come work at my failing company!’ Yeah, that ought to convince me!”_

“What I’m saying is… There is no way for the company to recover unless I have the best of the best; and that’s you! So I’m willing to pay whatever you want”.

_“The best of the best, huh? Fine. I hate this job anyway. But I want an apartment in Manhattan, with a view…”_

“Done!”

_“… and a closet exclusively for my shoes. If I’m going to work my ass off, I’m going to need a good place for my babies”._

“Pepper, you be here by next week and I’ll not only give you a closet for you shoes, but I’ll ask Janet Van Dyne to take you to every single fashion show in New York for the next year”.

_“I’ll be there next Tuesday. Nice doing business with you, Mr. Stark”._

He laughed, shaking his head, “Nice doing business with you as well, Ms. Potts”.

He hung up the phone with a smile. Pepper would definitely make things much easier. He was about to turn and go to the kitchen, so he could check if Steve had arrived with their food, when suddenly his body went stiff. There was a loud, continuous ringing in his ears that seemed to travel through his whole body. He started to fall backwards, his legs giving out, when someone caught him, lowering him into the nearby couch. He frantically moved his eyes – the only thing he _could_ move – and finally landed them on Obadiah’s smiling face.

“You remember this one, right? It’s a shame the government didn’t approve of this; such a useful little thing”.

Tony turned his eyes towards the door. Maybe Bucky would hear Stane talking and come over. Maybe Steve would arrive with the food and come tell Tony that it was time to eat.

“If you’re expecting your SHIELD friend to come save you, you’ll be sorely disappointed. He’s been taken care of already”.

 _‘Taken care of’? What the hell does that mean?_ , Tony thought to himself, desperately, _Does that mean dead? Shit, shit, shit…_

“You know, when I ordered the hit on you… It wasn’t personal. You’re good at this creating thing, Tony. The weapons, the missiles, the tech… They were all amazing. So much better than anything Howard ever did, that’s for sure”, he explained, grabbing Tony’s face, smiling down at him, “but you’re turning 21 soon and that means you’d get the company. I worked too damn hard to let that happen”.

He forcefully let go of his face, throwing it slightly to the side, before taking something out of a small suitcase on the table.

“I thought about getting you in the deal, at first, but I know you too well. You’re a naïve, pathetic little boy who believes the world is rainbows and sunshine”, he brought the device closer to his own face, looking at it, rotating it in his hand, before putting it right over Tony’s arc reactor. His eyes widened as he felt a terrible pressure on his chest and he watched helplessly as Stane took away the only thing that was keeping him alive.

“Raza said thank you for the armor design, by the way. He found the pieces in the middle of the desert and thought I might be able to help him put it together. We had a little disagreement, I’m afraid, but don’t worry, my boy. I’ll make good use of your little creation”, Stane said, looking down at the small arc reactor with greedy eyes, “you’ve made me the most powerful man in the world, Tony. It’s a pity you won’t be here to see my triumph”.

With that, he got up, putting the arc reactor inside the small suitcase and closing it. He took one last look at his godson and smiled before leaving the house, and Tony, behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed it. We're almost done. Two more chapters to go, I think. Again, sorry for the delay in posting this and leave me comments and kudos cause I love those! lol


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stane and Tony confront each other.

The pain in his lungs was unbearable. He could feel his muscles beginning to relax now that Stane and that damned thing were gone, but it was still too hard to move. He couldn’t scream for Bucky and, even if he could, he wasn’t sure it would do any good since he had no idea if the agent was even alive or not. His only hope was that JARVIS had already called Steve. Maybe he would get there in time. Maybe there was a chance. He couldn’t wait for it, though.

Tony tried moving his legs to the side, in an attempt to get out of the couch he was currently lying on, but only managed to land face first on the floor with a loud grunt. It was at that moment he heard heavy footsteps in the other room.

“Tony? Bucky?”

Tony tried to shout something, but failed. Luckily, JARVIS was well aware of the situation and made his phone go off, playing “Iron Man” as loud as it could go. The steps got louder until he could see Steve’s worried face by the door. Steve ran to him, putting his gun nearby on the floor and turned Tony over, checking him for any wounds.

Tony grabbed Steve’s hand with urgency, eyes wild in desperation.

“Suitcase…” He managed to get out, “Reactor. Now.”

_ Captain, sir needs the arc reactor in his suitcase. It is in his bedroom, by the door. Please, hurry, I believe he will not survive for long without it. _

Steve was out the door before JARVIS could even finish.

“Bucky… Tell him about Bucky”, Tony said in a whisper, gasping for air as the pain became too much.

_ I will, sir. Please, try to breath. The Captain will be here momentarily. _

Seconds after, Steve stumbled inside the office, the arc reactor safe in his hands.

“I’m here! What do I do?” He asked, looking at the whole in his boyfriend’s chest, “Oh God, Tony, what do I do?”

“Just give it to me”, the engineer said, taking the reactor from his hands.

_ Captain, sir has expressed his concerns about Agent Barnes. I suggest you go look for him. I will let you know if sir requires any more assistance. _

Steve looked absolutely torn between going after his best friend and staying with his boyfriend.

“Steve… go!” Tony insisted, already putting the arc reactor in place, “I’m fine. I just need a moment. Go!”

Steve kissed his forehead and got up, ruining out of the office in search for Bucky.

Now more assured that he wasn’t about to have his heart completely ripped to shreds by shrapnel, Tony started to slowly move his legs, gaining more and more movement in his body as the seconds passed.

“JARVIS, how’s Bucky? Is he…”

_ He is alive, sir. He’d been shot and has lost a considered amount of blood, but he will be fine. An ambulance is already on its way and should be arriving soon. _

“Good. Get Mark 2 ready”.

_ Sir, are you sure that’s a good idea? The police and SHIELD will take care of this. _

“You heard him, J.”, he replied, getting up with wobbly legs, “They managed to get Mark 1 and, knowing Obie like I do, I bet he made some improvements. They have no chance against him. I have to go”.

_ As you wish, sir _ .

Tony stood there for a moment, listening to the loud sounds of an approaching ambulance, and debated for a second if he should go see for himself if Bucky was okay, but if he did that Steve would stop him from going after Stane and that just couldn’t happen.

With a sigh, he made his decision as the armor landed right outside. “JARVIS, wait five minutes then tell Steve what’s happening”, and, with that, he left, feeling not at all ready to deal with his psychopath uncle.

* * *

He saw the smoke from the explosion from a mile away, coming from warehouse 3, where the heavy tech was built.  _ Shit shit shit _ , he thought to himself, willing the suit to go faster. He had to stop Obie. He couldn’t have more death on his conscious, God, he just couldn’t.

There was a woman outside the partially destroyed warehouse, looking ready for a fight. Suddenly, the ground next to her started moving and a huge suit of armor came through it. It was twice as big as the one Tony had made and it definitely had more weapons, according to what JARVIS was showing him on his HUD.

“Is that him, J.?”

_ Indeed, sir. _

“Who’s the redhead?”

_ No idea, sir. Shall I search for her identity? _

“Never mind that. STANE!”, he shouted when he got closer, calling for Obie’s attention.

Stane looked to the side and quickly pointed the machine gun at him. Tony slammed against his once uncle, taking him through the nearby wall and right into traffic. It was chaos. Cars and trucks started hitting each other as they tried to miss the two ‘robots’ in the middle of the street. Stane got up first, taking a nearby car in his arms as the family screamed, terrified.

“PUT THEM DOWN”, Tony shouted, getting up as well.

“It’s just collateral damage, Tony!”, the bigger man shouted in glee.

“JARVIS, concentrate energy on the chestpiece”. 

The AI took no longer than a moment to do just so, hitting Stane with a beam of energy and throwing him back several meters. Tony managed to get the car just in time and put it in the ground, letting the family leave the scene safe and sound. The punch came out of nowhere and, before he could even realize what was happening, Tony was thrown to the other side of the road. He could see and hear people screaming, running, trying to get as far away as possible from the two fighting titans.  _ I need to get him out of here, _ he thought to himself,  _ before he kills someone else _ . Stane grabbed him once more and threw him against a - thankfully empty - bus, firing a missile at him right after. The explosion sent Tony into the air, but he quickly recovered, standing several feet from the ground, thrusters ready for a flight.

“You’ve upgraded your armor”, Stane shouted, delighted, “I made a few upgrades myself”.

Smoke started filling the air as Stane slowly raised from the ground.

_ Sir, it appears his suit can fly. _

“Yeah, I noticed”, Tony replied, rolling his eyes at his AI, “Take me to maximum altitude. Let’s freeze his ass”.

The engineer took off towards the sky with Stane following closely after him.

“Come on, come on”, he whispered to himself as his former mentor got closer and closer.

He felt a hand closing on his ankle, pulling him down. Stane had finally reached him.

“My suit is more advanced than yours in every single way, Tony!”

“Really? How did you solve the icing problem?”

“Icing problem?” Stane asked just as his suit began to freeze.

“You might wanna take a look at that”, and, with that, Tony, punched the suit’s head, letting it fall from the sky.

Tony soon followed after Stane, landing on top of one of the smaller buildings at Stark Industries.

_ “Tony! Can you hear me?” _

“Steve?” the engineer replied, confused, “What are you doing here?”

_ “My job, that’s what. We’re all here. Can you disable his suit so we can arrest him?” _

“You got the evidence?” Tony asked while he looked around for Stane.

_ “Yes, we did. Can you disable his suit or not?” _

“I can do it!”

Before he could say anything else, though, Stane appeared behind him, grabbing him by the waist and pulling him closer.

“I’ve dreamed about squeezing the life out of you”, Obadiah said, doing exactly that. 

The suit started to give in due to the immense pressure Obie was putting on it. Tony groaned in pain. He couldn’t use his weapons, not this close. Suddenly, he had an idea.

“JARVIS, FLARES”.

The roof filled up with a bright, blinding light, making Stane drop the smaller man. Tony took the opportunity to gain the upper hand.

“JARVIS, analize for weak points”.

_ Already done it, sir.  _ The AI replied, showing his results on the HUD.

“Good. Fire everything we have at him. Let’s kill the suit!”

Guns, missiles, beams of pure energy were all directed at Stane, creating a symphony of noise and a show of lights. The older man screamed, trying to protect himself from it, but it was impossible. His suit had already been damaged by the icing issue and so, there was nothing else he could do. Slowly, the suit gave away and Stane fell to the ground, just as HUD from his suit faded to darkness.

_ “Tony, answer me! Are you okay? We’re coming up” _ .

Tony didn’t reply. He couldn’t. He stepped closer to the man he once considered family and ripped the upper part of the suit in half, exposing Stane.

“You’re done. You’re going to prison for a very long time, you fucking asshole”, he whispered, pure hatred dripping from his every word.

Stane merely laughed, showing his bloody teeth.

“Man like me don’t stay in jail for long, boy”.

“Who said anything about jail?” a voice asked from the door.

Margaret Carter walked towards them, Steve and a few more agents following right behind her.

“Don’t you worry, Obadiah”, she said smugly, with a terrifying smile, “You’re not going to jail. You’re going to a much worse place, I can guarantee you that. Take him away”.

The agents extracted Stane from the suit with little difficulty.

“What about the suit, ma’am?”

“I’ll handle it”, Tony said before his godmother could say anything. She nodded towards the agents, agreeing with him.

“I’m proud of you, my darling”, Margaret whispered to her godson with a small smile before turning around and following her agents, and Stane, out of the roof.

“So”, Steve said, putting his gun back in its holster, “I guess it’s finally over”.

“No. No, it’s not over yet. There are still people out there using my weapons to kill innocents. I need to stop them”.

Steve sighed and nodded. “Together, then”.

The red and gold suit suddenly opened up, letting Tony step down right in front of Steve. He smiled at his partner, nodding as well.

“Yeah. Together”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> itsy bitsy chapter for you guys. Are you guys quarantined as well? We have "voluntary isolation" in my country right now, but it's pretty much the same thing. I had to stop working because of it so it's been a struggle, especially to pay the bills. I hope you guys are all okay! Stay safe, stay home and wash your hands as if Justin Hammer just kissed them!  
> Only one more chapter to go!

**Author's Note:**

> Scientists have just discovered that a combination of comments and kudos is the only thing that can keep authors healthy and sane! Quick, leave some before it's too late!


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